Autonomous beam configuration in radio frequency repeaters

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the disclosure relate to beam configuration for RF repeaters. An RF repeater is configured to measure received power of one or more signals in the repeater for each of a plurality of beam directions. Further, the repeater determines a beam forming configuration for a fronthaul link between the repeater and at least one base station based on the measured received power of each of plurality of beam directions. The repeater may also be configured to determine beam configurations for access links between the repeater and user equipment.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 63/070,179 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Officeon Aug. 25, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated hereinby reference as if fully set forth below in its entirety and for allapplicable purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technology discussed below relates generally to wirelesscommunication systems, and more particularly, to autonomous beamconfiguration in radio frequency (RF) repeaters.

INTRODUCTION

Next-generation wireless communication systems (e.g., 5GS) may include a5G core network and a 5G radio access network (RAN), such as a New Radio(NR)-RAN. The NR-RAN supports communication via one or more cells. Forexample, a wireless communication device such as a user equipment (UE)may access a first cell of a first base station (BS) such as a gNBand/or access a second cell of a second base station.

A base station may schedule access to a cell to support access bymultiple UEs. For example, a base station may allocate differentresources (e.g., time domain and frequency domain resources) fordifferent UEs operating within a cell of the base station. To extend thecoverage of a wireless network, repeater devices may be used to relaycommunication traffic between at least two nodes.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES

The following presents a summary of one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure, in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects.This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated featuresof the disclosure and is intended neither to identify key or criticalelements of all aspects of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope ofany or all aspects of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is to presentsome concepts of one or more aspects of the disclosure in a form as aprelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

According to one aspect a method of beam forming in a repeater in acommunication system is disclosed. The method includes receiving one ormore signals in the repeater for each of a plurality of beam directionsand measuring received power of each of the one or more signals for eachof the plurality of beam directions. Further, the method includesdetermining a beam forming configuration for transmissions on afronthaul link between the repeater and at least one base station basedon the measured received power of the one or more signals.

According to another aspect a wireless repeater device in a wirelesscommunication network is disclosed. The wireless repeater includes awireless transceiver, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupledto the wireless transceiver and the memory. The processor and the memoryare configured to receive one or more signals in the repeater for eachof a plurality of beam directions, and to measure received power of eachof the one or more signals for each of the plurality of beam directions.The processor and memory are further configured to determine a beamforming configuration for transmissions on a fronthaul link between therepeater and at least one base station based on the measured receivedpower of the one or more signals.

In yet another aspect, a method of beam forming in a repeater in acommunication system is disclosed. The method includes receiving one ormore signals from at least one of a base station or one or more userequipment (UE). Further, the method includes measuring received powerfor the received one or more signals at a plurality of beam locationsexcept for beam locations selected for serving a fronthaul link betweenthe repeater and the base station. Yet further, the method includesselecting a beam forming configuration for transmissions for an accesslink between the repeater and the UE based on the measuring of thereceived power of the one or more signals at the plurality of beamlocations.

According to yet another aspects, a wireless repeater device in awireless communication network is disclosed. The wireless repeaterincludes a wireless transceiver, a memory, and a processorcommunicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory. Theprocessor and the memory are configured to receive one or more signalsfrom at least one of a base station or one or more user equipment (UE),and measure received power for the received one or more signals at aplurality of beam locations except for beam locations selected forserving a fronthaul link between the repeater and the base station.Additionally, the processor and the memory are configured to select abeam forming configuration for transmissions for an access link betweenthe repeater and the UE based on the measuring of the received power ofthe one or more signals at the plurality of beam locations.

These and other aspects of the disclosure will become more fullyunderstood upon a review of the detailed description, which follows.Other aspects, features, and embodiments will become apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art, upon reviewing the following descriptionof specific, exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures. While features may be discussed relative to certain embodimentsand figures below, all embodiments can include one or more of theadvantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one ormore embodiments may be discussed as having certain advantageousfeatures, one or more of such features may also be used in accordancewith the various embodiments discussed herein. In similar fashion, whileexemplary embodiments may be discussed below as device, system, ormethod embodiments it should be understood that such exemplaryembodiments can be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a wireless communication system accordingto some aspects.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an example of a radio access network (RAN)according to some aspects.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of wireless resources in an air interfaceutilizing orthogonal frequency divisional multiplexing (OFDM) accordingto some aspects.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example of downlink channels according to someaspects.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a wirelesscommunication system supporting beamforming and/or multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) communication according to some aspects.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of communication between aradio access network (RAN) node and a wireless communication deviceusing beamforming according to some aspects.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an RF repeater in awireless communication system according to some aspects.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication systemutilizing an RF repeater according to some aspects.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another example of a communicationsystem utilizing a smart repeater according to some aspects.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a repeater device in awireless communication system according to some aspects.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating example components andcommunication links of a repeater device according to some aspects.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating example components of arepeater device according to some aspects.

FIG. 13 is a conceptual illustration of an example of signaling pathsfor a repeater device according to some aspects.

FIG. 14 is a call flow diagram illustrating an example of repeaterdevice signaling according to some aspects.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareimplementation of repeater device employing a processing systemaccording to some aspects.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method implemented ata wireless repeater device according to some aspects.

FIG. 17 is a flow chart illustrating another exemplary methodimplemented at a wireless repeater device according to some aspects.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appendeddrawings is intended as a description of various configurations and isnot intended to represent the only configurations in which the conceptsdescribed herein may be practiced. The detailed description includesspecific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understandingof various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that these concepts may be practiced without these specificdetails. In some instances, well known structures and components areshown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts.

The electromagnetic spectrum is often subdivided, based onfrequency/wavelength, into various classes, bands, channels, etc. In 5GNR two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency rangedesignations FR1 (410 MHz-7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz-52.6 GHz). Itshould be understood that although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6GHz, FR1 is often referred to (interchangeably) as a “Sub-6 GHz” band invarious documents and articles. A similar nomenclature issue sometimesoccurs with regard to FR2, which is often referred to (interchangeably)as a “millimeter wave” band in documents and articles, despite beingdifferent from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz-300 GHz)which is identified by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)as a “millimeter wave” band.

The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as mid-bandfrequencies. Recent 5G NR studies have identified an operating band forthese mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125GHz-24.25 GHz). Frequency bands falling within FR3 may inherit FR1characteristics and/or FR2 characteristics, and thus may effectivelyextend features of FR1 and/or FR2 into mid-band frequencies. Inaddition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend5G NR operation beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operatingbands have been identified as frequency range designations FR4-a orFR4-1 (52.6 GHz-71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz-114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25GHz-300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHFband.

With the above aspects in mind, unless specifically stated otherwise, itshould be understood that the term “sub-6 GHz” or the like if usedherein may broadly represent frequencies that may be less than 6 GHz,may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. Further, unlessspecifically stated otherwise, it should be understood that the term“millimeter wave” or the like if used herein may broadly representfrequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2,FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1, and/or FR5, or may be within the EHF band.

Various aspects of the disclosure relate to autonomous beamconfiguration of a radio frequency (RF) repeater device in communicationsystems, where RF repeaters are non-regenerative type of relay nodesthat simply amplify-and-forward the signals that they receive. In aparticular aspect, the disclosure relates to an RF repeater that may beconfigured to autonomously or independently select a beam configurationfor receiving signals to be repeated from a base station, gNodeB, orother network device or cell over a fronthaul link. Additionally, the RFrepeater may be configured to autonomously or independently select abeam configuration for transmitting (i.e., repeating) the receivedsignals to a user equipment (UE), for example, over an access link (AL).As will be discussed, the autonomous beam configuration may be performedin the RF repeater that is configured to measure received power ofsignals, as well as being able to scan across multiple beam directionsto determine optimal beam selection.

While aspects and examples are described in this application byillustration to some examples, those skilled in the art will understandthat additional implementations and use cases may come about in manydifferent arrangements and scenarios. Innovations described herein maybe implemented across many differing platform types, devices, systems,shapes, sizes, and packaging arrangements. For example, aspects and/oruses may come about via integrated chip examples and othernon-module-component based devices (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles,communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment,retail/purchasing devices, medical devices, AI-enabled devices, etc.).While some examples may or may not be specifically directed to use casesor applications, a wide assortment of applicability of describedinnovations may occur. Implementations may range a spectrum fromchip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-levelimplementations and further to aggregate, distributed, or OEM devices orsystems incorporating one or more aspects of the described innovations.In some practical settings, devices incorporating described aspects andfeatures may also necessarily include additional components and featuresfor implementation and practice of claimed and described examples. Forexample, transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarilyincludes a number of components for analog and digital purposes (e.g.,hardware components including antenna, RF-chains, power amplifiers,modulators, buffer, processor(s), interleaver, adders/summers, etc.). Itis intended that innovations described herein may be practiced in a widevariety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributedarrangements, end-user devices, etc. of varying sizes, shapes andconstitution.

The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure may beimplemented across a broad variety of telecommunication systems, networkarchitectures, and communication standards. Referring now to FIG. 1, asan illustrative example without limitation, a schematic illustration ofa radio access network 100 is provided. The RAN 100 may implement anysuitable wireless communication technology or technologies to provideradio access. As one example, the RAN 100 may operate according to 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specifications,often referred to as 5G. As another example, the RAN 100 may operateunder a hybrid of 5G NR and Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio AccessNetwork (eUTRAN) standards, often referred to as LTE. The 3GPP refers tothis hybrid RAN as a next-generation RAN, or NG-RAN. Of course, manyother examples may be utilized within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

The geographic region covered by the radio access network 100 may bedivided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquelyidentified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identificationbroadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or basestation. FIG. 1 illustrates cells 102, 104, 106, and cell 108, each ofwhich may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is asub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the samebase station. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a singlelogical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that isdivided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formedby groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communicationwith UEs in a portion of the cell.

In general, a respective base station (BS) serves each cell. Broadly, abase station is a network element in a radio access network responsiblefor radio transmission and reception in one or more cells to or from aUE. A BS may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a basetransceiver station (BTS), a radio base station, a radio transceiver, atransceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set(ESS), an access point (AP), a Node B (NB), an eNode B (eNB), a gNode B(gNB), a transmission and reception point (TRP), or some other suitableterminology. In some examples, a base station may include two or moreTRPs that may be collocated or non-collocated. Each TRP may communicateon the same or different carrier frequency within the same or differentfrequency band. In examples where the RAN 100 operates according to boththe LTE and 5G NR standards, one of the base stations may be an LTE basestation, while another base station may be a 5G NR base station.

Various base station arrangements can be utilized. For example, in FIG.1, two base stations 110 and 112 are shown in cells 102 and 104; and athird base station 114 is shown controlling a remote radio head (RRH)116 in cell 106. That is, a base station can have an integrated antennaor can be connected to an antenna or RRH by feeder cables. In theillustrated example, the cells 102, 104, and 106 may be referred to asmacrocells, as the base stations 110, 112, and 114 support cells havinga large size. Further, a base station 118 is shown in the cell 108 whichmay overlap with one or more macrocells. In this example, the cell 108may be referred to as a small cell (e.g., a microcell, picocell,femtocell, home base station, home Node B, home eNode B, etc.), as thebase station 118 supports a cell having a relatively small size. Cellsizing can be done according to system design as well as componentconstraints.

It is to be understood that the radio access network 100 may include anynumber of wireless base stations and cells. Further, a relay node may bedeployed to extend the size or coverage area of a given cell. The basestations 110, 112, 114, 118 provide wireless access points to a corenetwork for any number of mobile apparatuses.

FIG. 1 further includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 120, which maybe a drone or quadcopter. The UAV 120 may be configured to function as abase station, or more specifically as a mobile base station. That is, insome examples, a cell may not necessarily be stationary, and thegeographic area of the cell may move according to the location of amobile base station such as the UAV 120.

In general, base stations may include a backhaul interface forcommunication with a backhaul portion (not shown) of the network. Thebackhaul may provide a link between a base station and a core network(not shown), and in some examples, the backhaul may provideinterconnection between the respective base stations. The core networkmay be a part of a wireless communication system and may be independentof the radio access technology used in the radio access network. Varioustypes of backhaul interfaces may be employed, such as a direct physicalconnection, a virtual network, or the like using any suitable transportnetwork.

The RAN 100 is illustrated supporting wireless communication formultiple mobile apparatuses. A mobile apparatus is commonly referred toas user equipment (UE) in standards and specifications promulgated bythe 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), but may also be referredto by those skilled in the art as a mobile station (MS), a subscriberstation, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remoteunit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communicationsdevice, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal(AT), a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, ahandset, a terminal, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or someother suitable terminology. A UE may be an apparatus that provides auser with access to network services.

Within the present document, a “mobile” apparatus need not necessarilyhave a capability to move, and may be stationary. The term mobileapparatus or mobile device broadly refers to a diverse array of devicesand technologies. For example, some non-limiting examples of a mobileapparatus include a mobile, a cellular (cell) phone, a smart phone, asession initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal computer(PC), a notebook, a netbook, a smartbook, a tablet, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), and a broad array of embedded systems, e.g.,corresponding to an “Internet of things” (IoT). A mobile apparatus mayadditionally be an automotive or other transportation vehicle, a remotesensor or actuator, a robot or robotics device, a satellite radio, aglobal positioning system (GPS) device, an object tracking device, adrone, a multi-copter, a quad-copter, a remote control device, aconsumer and/or wearable device, such as eyewear, a wearable camera, avirtual reality device, a smart watch, a health or fitness tracker, adigital audio player (e.g., MP3 player), a camera, a game console, etc.A mobile apparatus may additionally be a digital home or smart homedevice such as a home audio, video, and/or multimedia device, anappliance, a vending machine, intelligent lighting, a home securitysystem, a smart meter, etc. A mobile apparatus may additionally be asmart energy device, a security device, a solar panel or solar array, amunicipal infrastructure device controlling electric power (e.g., asmart grid), lighting, water, etc., an industrial automation andenterprise device, a logistics controller, agricultural equipment, etc.Still further, a mobile apparatus may provide for connected medicine ortelemedicine support, i.e., health care at a distance. Telehealthdevices may include telehealth monitoring devices and telehealthadministration devices, whose communication may be given preferentialtreatment or prioritized access over other types of information, e.g.,in terms of prioritized access for transport of critical service data,and/or relevant QoS for transport of critical service data.

Within the RAN 100, the cells may include UEs that may be incommunication with one or more sectors of each cell. For example, UEs122 and 124 may be in communication with base station 110; UEs 126 and128 may be in communication with base station 112; UEs 130 and 132 maybe in communication with base station 114 by way of RRH 116; UE 134 maybe in communication with base station 118; and UE 136 may be incommunication with mobile base station 120. Here, each base station 110,112, 114, 118, and 120 may be configured to provide an access point to acore network (not shown) for all the UEs in the respective cells. Insome examples, the UAV 120 (e.g., the quadcopter) can be a mobilenetwork node and may be configured to function as a UE. For example, theUAV 120 may operate within cell 102 by communicating with base station110.

Wireless communication between a RAN 100 and a UE (e.g., UE 122 or 124)may be described as utilizing an air interface. Transmissions over theair interface from a base station (e.g., base station 110) to one ormore UEs (e.g., UE 122 and 124) may be referred to as downlink (DL)transmission. In accordance with certain aspects of the presentdisclosure, the term downlink may refer to a point-to-multipointtransmission originating at a scheduling entity (described furtherbelow; e.g., base station 110). Another way to describe this scheme maybe to use the term broadcast channel multiplexing. Transmissions from aUE (e.g., UE 122) to a base station (e.g., base station 110) may bereferred to as uplink (UL) transmissions. In accordance with furtheraspects of the present disclosure, the term uplink may refer to apoint-to-point transmission originating at a scheduled entity (describedfurther below; e.g., UE 122).

For example, DL transmissions may include unicast or broadcasttransmissions of control information and/or traffic information (e.g.,user data traffic) from a base station (e.g., base station 110) to oneor more UEs (e.g., UEs 122 and 124), while UL transmissions may includetransmissions of control information and/or traffic informationoriginating at a UE (e.g., UE 122). In addition, the uplink and/ordownlink control information and/or traffic information may betime-divided into frames, subframes, slots, and/or symbols. As usedherein, a symbol may refer to a unit of time that, in an orthogonalfrequency division multiplexed (OFDM) waveform, carries one resourceelement (RE) per sub-carrier. A slot may carry 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. Asubframe may refer to a duration of 1 ms. Multiple subframes or slotsmay be grouped together to form a single frame or radio frame. Withinthe present disclosure, a frame may refer to a predetermined duration(e.g., 10 ms) for wireless transmissions, with each frame consisting of,for example, 10 subframes of 1 ms each. Of course, these definitions arenot required, and any suitable scheme for organizing waveforms may beutilized, and various time divisions of the waveform may have anysuitable duration.

In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, whereina scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) allocates resources (e.g.,time-frequency resources) for communication among some or all devicesand equipment within its service area or cell. Within the presentdisclosure, as discussed further below, the scheduling entity may beresponsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasingresources for one or more scheduled entities. That is, for scheduledcommunication, UEs or scheduled entities utilize resources allocated bythe scheduling entity.

Base stations are not the only entities that may function as ascheduling entity. That is, in some examples, a UE may function as ascheduling entity, scheduling resources for one or more scheduledentities (e.g., one or more other UEs). For example, two or more UEs(e.g., UEs 138, 140, and 142) may communicate with each other usingsidelink signals 137 without relaying that communication through a basestation. In some examples, the UEs 138, 140, and 142 may each functionas a scheduling entity or transmitting sidelink device and/or ascheduled entity or a receiving sidelink device to schedule resourcesand communicate sidelink signals 137 therebetween without relying onscheduling or control information from a base station. In otherexamples, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 126 and 128) within the coveragearea of a base station (e.g., base station 112) may also communicatesidelink signals 127 over a direct link (sidelink) without conveyingthat communication through the base station 112. In this example, thebase station 112 may allocate resources to the UEs 126 and 128 for thesidelink communication. In either case, such sidelink signaling 127 and137 may be implemented in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, adevice-to-device (D2D) network, a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) network, avehicle-to-everything (V2X) network, a mesh network, or other suitabledirect link network.

In some examples, a D2D relay framework may be included within acellular network to facilitate relaying of communication to/from thebase station 112 via D2D links (e.g., sidelinks 127 or 137). Forexample, one or more UEs (e.g., UE 128) within the coverage area of thebase station 112 may operate as relaying UEs to extend the coverage ofthe base station 112, improve the transmission reliability to one ormore UEs (e.g., UE 126), and/or to allow the base station to recoverfrom a failed UE link due to, for example, blockage or fading. Twoprimary technologies that may be used by V2X networks include dedicatedshort range communication (DSRC) based on IEEE 802.11p standards andcellular V2X based on LTE and/or 5G (New Radio) standards. Variousaspects of the present disclosure may relate to New Radio (NR) cellularV2X networks, referred to herein as V2X networks, for simplicity.However, it should be understood that the concepts disclosed herein maynot be limited to a particular V2X standard or may be directed tosidelink networks other than V2X networks.

In some further examples, the RAN 100 may include an RF repeater 144 incommunication with a base station or gNB such as base station 112. TheRF repeater 144 is configured to repeat UL and DL transmissions betweenthe base station 112 and one or more UEs, such as UE 146 as an example.Furthermore, as will be discussed later, the RF repeater 144 may beconfigured to utilize beam forming for transmission to a UE such as UE146.

In order for transmissions over the air interface to obtain a low blockerror rate (BLER) while still achieving very high data rates, channelcoding may be used. That is, wireless communication may generallyutilize a suitable error correcting block code. In a typical block code,an information message or sequence is split up into code blocks (CBs),and an encoder (e.g., a CODEC) at the transmitting device thenmathematically adds redundancy to the information message. Exploitationof this redundancy in the encoded information message can improve thereliability of the message, enabling correction for any bit errors thatmay occur due to the noise.

Data coding may be implemented in multiple manners. In early 5G NRspecifications, user data is coded using quasi-cyclic low-density paritycheck (LDPC) with two different base graphs: one base graph is used forlarge code blocks and/or high code rates, while the other base graph isused otherwise. Control information and the physical broadcast channel(PBCH) are coded using Polar coding, based on nested sequences. Forthese channels, puncturing, shortening, and repetition are used for ratematching.

Aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented utilizing anysuitable channel code. Various implementations of base stations and UEsmay include suitable hardware and capabilities (e.g., an encoder, adecoder, and/or a CODEC) to utilize one or more of these channel codesfor wireless communication.

In the RAN 100, the ability for a UE to communicate while moving,independent of their location, is referred to as mobility. The variousphysical channels between the UE and the RAN are generally set up,maintained, and released under the control of an access and mobilitymanagement function (AMF). In some scenarios, the AMF may include asecurity context management function (SCMF) and a security anchorfunction (SEAF) that performs authentication. The SCMF can manage, inwhole or in part, the security context for both the control plane andthe user plane functionality.

In some examples, a RAN 100 may enable mobility and handovers (i.e., thetransfer of a UE's connection from one radio channel to another). Forexample, during a call with a scheduling entity, or at any other time, aUE may monitor various parameters of the signal from its serving cell aswell as various parameters of neighboring cells. Depending on thequality of these parameters, the UE may maintain communication with oneor more of the neighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves fromone cell to another, or if signal quality from a neighboring cellexceeds that from the serving cell for a given amount of time, the UEmay undertake a handoff or handover from the serving cell to theneighboring (target) cell. For example, UE 124 may move from thegeographic area corresponding to its serving cell 102 to the geographicarea corresponding to a neighbor cell 106. When the signal strength orquality from the neighbor cell 106 exceeds that of its serving cell 102for a given amount of time, the UE 124 may transmit a reporting messageto its serving base station 110 indicating this condition. In response,the UE 124 may receive a handover command, and the UE may undergo ahandover to the cell 106.

In various implementations, the air interface in the RAN 100 may utilizelicensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or shared spectrum. Licensedspectrum provides for exclusive use of a portion of the spectrum,generally by virtue of a mobile network operator purchasing a licensefrom a government regulatory body. Unlicensed spectrum provides forshared use of a portion of the spectrum without need for agovernment-granted license. While compliance with some technical rulesis generally still required to access unlicensed spectrum, generally,any operator or device may gain access. Shared spectrum may fall betweenlicensed and unlicensed spectrum, wherein technical rules or limitationsmay be required to access the spectrum, but the spectrum may still beshared by multiple operators and/or multiple RATs. For example, theholder of a license for a portion of licensed spectrum may providelicensed shared access (LSA) to share that spectrum with other parties,e.g., with suitable licensee-determined conditions to gain access.

The air interface in the RAN 100 may utilize one or more multiplexingand multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneous communication ofthe various devices. For example, 5G NR specifications provide multipleaccess for UL or reverse link transmissions from UEs 122 and 124 to basestation 110, and for multiplexing DL or forward link transmissions fromthe base station 110 to UEs 122 and 124 utilizing orthogonal frequencydivision multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP). In addition, forUL transmissions, 5G NR specifications provide support for discreteFourier transform-spread-OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) with a CP (also referred toas single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA)). However, within the scope of thepresent disclosure, multiplexing and multiple access are not limited tothe above schemes, and may be provided utilizing time division multipleaccess (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency divisionmultiple access (FDMA), sparse code multiple access (SCMA), resourcespread multiple access (RSMA), or other suitable multiple accessschemes. Further, multiplexing DL transmissions from the base station110 to UEs 122 and 124 may be provided utilizing time divisionmultiplexing (TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), frequency divisionmultiplexing (FDM), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM),sparse code multiplexing (SCM), or other suitable multiplexing schemes.

Further, the air interface in the RAN 100 may utilize one or moreduplexing algorithms. Duplex refers to a point-to-point communicationlink where both endpoints can communicate with one another in bothdirections. Full-duplex means both endpoints can simultaneouslycommunicate with one another. Half-duplex means only one endpoint cansend information to the other at a time. Half-duplex emulation isfrequently implemented for wireless links utilizing time division duplex(TDD). In TDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channelare separated from one another using time division multiplexing. Thatis, at some times the channel is dedicated for transmissions in onedirection, while at other times the channel is dedicated fortransmissions in the other direction, where the direction may changevery rapidly, e.g., several times per slot. In a wireless link, afull-duplex channel generally relies on physical isolation of atransmitter and receiver, and suitable interference cancellationtechnologies. Full-duplex emulation is frequently implemented forwireless links by utilizing frequency division duplex (FDD) or spatialdivision duplex (SDD). In FDD, transmissions in different directions mayoperate at different carrier frequencies (e.g., within paired spectrum).In SDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel areseparated from one another using spatial division multiplexing (SDM). Inother examples, full-duplex communication may be implemented withinunpaired spectrum (e.g., within a single carrier bandwidth), wheretransmissions in different directions occur within different sub-bandsof the carrier bandwidth. This type of full-duplex communication may bereferred to herein as sub-band full duplex (SBFD), also known asflexible duplex.

FIG. 2, as another illustrative example without limitation, illustratesvarious aspects with reference to a schematic of a wirelesscommunication system 200. The wireless communication system 200 includesthree interacting domains: a core network 202, a radio access network(RAN) 204, and a user equipment (UE) 206. By virtue of the wirelesscommunication system 200, the UE 206 may be enabled to carry out datacommunication with an external data network 210, such as (but notlimited to) the Internet.

The RAN 204 may implement any suitable wireless communication technologyor technologies to provide radio access to the UE 206. As one example,the RAN 204 may operate according to 3rd Generation Partnership Project(3GPP) New Radio (NR) specifications. As another example, the RAN 204may operate under a hybrid of 5G NR and Evolved Universal TerrestrialRadio Access Network (eUTRAN) standards, often referred to as LTE, suchas in non-standalone (NSA) systems including EN-DC systems. The 3GPPalso refers to this hybrid RAN as a next-generation RAN, or NG-RAN.Additionally, many other examples may be utilized within the scope ofthe present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the RAN 204 includes a plurality of basestations 208. In different technologies, standards, or contexts, thebase stations 208 may variously be referred to by those skilled in theart as a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio base station, a radiotransceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), anextended service set (ESS), an access point (AP), a Node B (NB), aneNode B (eNB), a gNode B (gNB), a transmission and reception point(TRP), or some other suitable terminology. In some examples, a basestation may include two or more TRPs that may be collocated ornon-collocated. Each TRP may communicate on the same or differentcarrier frequency within the same or different frequency band.

The RAN 204 is further illustrated supporting wireless communication formultiple mobile apparatuses. A mobile apparatus may be referred to asuser equipment (UE) in 3GPP standards, but may also be referred to bythose skilled in the art as a mobile station (MS), a subscriber station,a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, amobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device, aremote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal (AT), amobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, aterminal, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some othersuitable terminology. A UE may be an apparatus (e.g., a mobileapparatus) that provides a user with access to network services.

Wireless communication between the RAN 204 and a UE 206 may be describedas utilizing an air interface. Transmissions over the air interface froma base station (e.g., base station 208) to a UE (e.g., UE 206) may bereferred to as downlink (DL) transmission. In accordance with certainaspects of the present disclosure, the term downlink may refer to apoint-to-multipoint transmission originating at a scheduling entity(described further below; e.g., base station 108). Another way todescribe this scheme may be to use the term broadcast channelmultiplexing. Transmissions from a UE (e.g., UE 206) to a base station(e.g., base station 208) may be referred to as uplink (UL)transmissions. In accordance with further aspects of the presentdisclosure, the term uplink may refer to a point-to-point transmissionoriginating at a UE (e.g., UE 206).

In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, whereina scheduling entity (e.g., a base station 208) allocates resources forcommunication among some or all devices and equipment within its servicearea or cell. Within the present disclosure, as discussed further below,the scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, assigning,reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more scheduledentities. That is, for scheduled communication, UE 206, which may be ascheduled entity, may utilize resources allocated by the schedulingentity 208.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a base station or scheduling entity 208 maybroadcast downlink traffic 212 to one or more UEs (e.g., UE 206).Broadly, the base station or scheduling entity 208 may be configured asa node or device responsible for scheduling traffic in a wirelesscommunication network, including the downlink traffic 212 and, in someexamples, uplink traffic 216 from the UE 206 to the scheduling entity208. The UE 206 may be configured as a node or device that also receivesdownlink control information 214, including but not limited toscheduling information (e.g., a grant), synchronization or timinginformation, or other control information from another entity in thewireless communication network such as the scheduling entity 208.Furthermore, the UE 206 may send uplink control information 218 to thebase station 208 including but not limited to scheduling information(e.g., grants), synchronization or timing information, or other controlinformation.

In general, base stations 208 may include a backhaul interface forcommunication with a backhaul portion 222 of the wireless communicationsystem. The backhaul 222 may provide a link between a base station 208and the core network 202. Further, in some examples, a backhaulinterface may provide interconnection between the respective basestations 208. Various types of backhaul interfaces may be employed, suchas a direct physical connection, a virtual network, or the like usingany suitable transport network.

The core network 202 may be a part of the wireless communication system200, and may be independent of the radio access technology used in theRAN 204. In some examples, the core network 202 may be configuredaccording to 5G standards (e.g., 5GC). In other examples, the corenetwork 202 may be configured according to a 4G evolved packet core(EPC), or any other suitable standard or configuration.

In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, whereina scheduling entity (e.g., a base station 208) allocates resources forcommunication among some or all devices and equipment within its servicearea or cell. Within the present disclosure, as discussed further below,the scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, assigning,reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more scheduledentities. That is, for scheduled communication, UE 206, which may be ascheduled entity, may utilize resources allocated by the base station orscheduling entity 208.

Various aspects of the present disclosure will be described withreference to an OFDM waveform, schematically illustrated in FIG. 3. Itshould be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that thevarious aspects of the present disclosure may be applied to an SC-FDMAwaveform in substantially the same way as described herein below. Thatis, while some examples of the present disclosure may focus on an OFDMlink for clarity, it should be understood that the same principles maybe applied as well to SC-FDMA waveforms.

Various aspects of the present disclosure will be described withreference to an OFDM waveform, an example of which is schematicallyillustrated in FIG. 3. It should be understood by those of ordinaryskill in the art that the various aspects of the present disclosure maybe applied to a discrete Fourier transform-spread-OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) witha CP (also referred to as single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA)) waveform insubstantially the same way as described herein below. That is, whilesome examples of the present disclosure may focus on an OFDM link forclarity, it should be understood that the same principles may be appliedas well to SC-FDMA waveforms.

Within the present disclosure, a frame 300 refers to a duration of 10 msfor wireless transmissions, with each frame consisting of 10 subframesof 1 ms each. A transmission burst may include multiple frames. On agiven carrier, there may be one set of frames in the UL, and another setof frames in the DL. Referring now to FIG. 3, an expanded view of anexemplary subframe 302 is illustrated, showing an OFDM resource grid.However, as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the PHYtransmission structure for any particular application may vary from theexample described here, depending on any number of factors. Here, timeis in the horizontal direction with units of OFDM symbols; and frequencyis in the vertical direction with units of subcarriers or tones.

The resource grid 304 may be used to schematically representtime-frequency resources for a given antenna port. That is, in amultiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) implementation with multipleantenna ports available, a corresponding multiple number of resourcegrids 304 may be available for communication. The resource grid 304 isdivided into multiple resource elements (REs) 306. An RE, which is 1subcarrier×1 symbol, is the smallest discrete part of the time-frequencygrid, and contains a single complex value representing data from aphysical channel or signal. Depending on the modulation utilized in aparticular implementation, each RE may represent one or more bits ofinformation. In some examples, a block of REs may be referred to as aphysical resource block (PRB) or more simply a resource block (RB) 308,which contains any suitable number of consecutive subcarriers in thefrequency domain. In one example, an RB may include 12 subcarriers, anumber independent of the numerology used. In some examples, dependingon the numerology, an RB may include any suitable number of consecutiveOFDM symbols in the time domain Within the present disclosure, it isassumed that a single RB such as the RB 308 entirely corresponds to asingle direction of communication (either transmission or reception fora given device).

A set of continuous or discontinuous resource blocks may be referred toherein as a Resource Block Group (RBG), sub-band, or bandwidth part(BWP). A set of sub-bands or BWPs may span the entire bandwidth.Scheduling of UEs (scheduled entities) for downlink or uplinktransmissions typically involves scheduling one or more resourceelements 306 within one or more sub-bands or bandwidth parts (BWPs).Thus, a UE generally utilizes only a subset of the resource grid 304. AnRB may be the smallest unit of resources that can be allocated to a UE.Thus, the more RBs scheduled for a UE, and the higher the modulationscheme chosen for the air interface, the higher the data rate for theUE.

In this illustration, the RB 308 is shown as occupying less than theentire bandwidth of the subframe 302, with some subcarriers illustratedabove and below the RB 308. In a given implementation, the subframe 302may have a bandwidth corresponding to any number of one or more RBs 308.Further, in this illustration, the RB 308 is shown as occupying lessthan the entire duration of the subframe 302, although this is merelyone possible example.

Each subframe 302 (e.g., a 1 ms subframe) may consist of one or multipleadjacent slots. In the illustrative example shown in FIG. 3, onesubframe 310 includes four slots. In some examples, a slot may bedefined according to a specified number of OFDM symbols with a givencyclic prefix (CP) length. For example, a slot may include 7 or 14 OFDMsymbols with a nominal CP. Additional examples may include mini-slots,sometimes referred to as shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs),having a shorter duration (e.g., one to three OFDM symbols). Thesemini-slots or shortened TTIs may in some cases be transmitted occupyingresources scheduled for ongoing slot transmissions for the same or fordifferent UEs. Any number of resource blocks may be utilized within asubframe or slot.

An expanded view of one of the slots 312 of subframe 310 illustrates theslot 312 as including a control region 314 and a data region 316. In afirst example of the slot 312, the control region 314 may carry controlchannels (e.g., a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)) and thedata region 316 may carry data channels (e.g., a physical downlinkshared channel (PDSCH)). In a second example of the slot 312, thecontrol region 314 may carry control channels (e.g., a physical uplinkcontrol channel (PUCCH)) and the data region 316 may carry data channels(e.g., a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)). Of course, a slot maycontain all DL, all UL, or at least one DL portion and at least one ULportion. The structures illustrated in FIG. 3 are merely exemplary innature, and different slot structures may be utilized, and may includeone or more of each of the control region(s) and data region(s).

Although not illustrated in FIG. 3, the various REs 306 within an RB 308may be scheduled to carry one or more physical channels, includingcontrol channels, shared channels, data channels, etc. Other REs 306within the RB 308 may also carry pilots or reference signals, includingbut not limited to a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a controlreference signal (CRS), channel state information reference signal(CSI-RS), and/or a sounding reference signal (SRS). These pilots orreference signals may provide for a receiving device to perform channelestimation of the corresponding channel, which may enable coherentdemodulation/detection of the control and/or data channels within the RB308.

In some examples, the slot 312 may be utilized for broadcast or unicastcommunication. For example, a broadcast, multicast, or groupcastcommunication may refer to a point-to-multipoint transmission by onedevice (e.g., a base station, UE, or other similar device) to otherdevices. As used herein, a broadcast communication is delivered to alldevices, whereas a multicast communication is delivered to multipleintended recipient devices. A unicast communication may refer to apoint-to-point transmission by a one device to a single other device.

In a DL transmission, a transmitting device (e.g., the schedulingentity/base station 108) may allocate one or more REs 306 (e.g., DL REswithin the control region 314) to carry DL control information (DCI)including one or more DL control 114 channels that may carryinformation, for example, originating from higher layers, such as aphysical broadcast channel (PBCH), a physical hybrid automatic repeatrequest (HARQ) indicator channel (PHICH), a physical downlink controlchannel (PDCCH), etc., to one or more scheduled entities (e.g.,UE/scheduled entity 106). A Physical Control Format Indicator Channel(PCFICH) may provide information to assist a receiving device inreceiving and decoding the PDCCH and/or Physical HARQ Indicator Channel(PHICH). The PHICH carries HARQ feedback transmissions such as anacknowledgment (ACK) or negative acknowledgment (NACK). HARQ is atechnique well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art, wherein theintegrity of packet transmissions may be checked at the receiving sidefor accuracy, e.g., utilizing any suitable integrity checking mechanism,such as a checksum or a cyclic redundancy check (CRC). If the integrityof the transmission confirmed, an ACK may be transmitted, whereas if notconfirmed, a NACK may be transmitted. In response to a NACK, thetransmitting device may send a HARQ retransmission, which may implementchase combining, incremental redundancy, etc. The PDCCH may carrydownlink control 114, including downlink control information (DCI) forone or more UEs in a cell. This may include, but not limited to, powercontrol commands, scheduling information, a grant, and/or an assignmentof REs for DL and UL transmissions.

The base station may further allocate one or more REs 306 to carry otherDL signals, such as a demodulation reference signal (DMRS); aphase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS); a positioning reference signal(PRS), a channel-stated information reference signal (CSI-RS); a primarysynchronization signal (PSS); and a secondary synchronization signal(SSS). These DL signals, which may also be referred to as downlinkphysical signals, may correspond to sets of resource elements used bythe physical layer but they generally do not carry informationoriginating from higher layers. A UE may utilize the PSS and SSS toachieve radio frame, subframe, slot, and symbol synchronization in thetime domain, identify the center of the channel (system) bandwidth inthe frequency domain, and identify the physical cell identity (PCI) ofthe cell. The synchronization signals PSS and SSS, and in some examples,the PBCH and a PBCH DMRS, may be transmitted in a synchronization signalblock (SSB). The PBCH may further include a master information block(MIB) that includes various system information, along with parametersfor decoding a system information block (SIB). The SIB may be, forexample, a SystemInformationType 1 (SIB1) that may include variousadditional system information. Examples of system informationtransmitted in the MIB may include, but are not limited to, a subcarrierspacing, system frame number, a configuration of a PDCCH controlresource set (CORESET) (e.g., PDCCH CORESET0), and a search space forSIB1. Examples of additional system information transmitted in the SIB1may include, but are not limited to, a random access search space,downlink configuration information, and uplink configurationinformation. The MIB and SIB1 together provide the minimum systeminformation (SI) for initial access.

The synchronization signals PSS and SSS (collectively referred to asSS), and in some examples, the PBCH, may be transmitted in an SS blockthat includes 4 consecutive OFDM symbols, numbered via a time index inincreasing order from 0 to 3. In the frequency domain, the SS block mayextend over 240 contiguous subcarriers, with the subcarriers beingnumbered via a frequency index in increasing order from 0 to 239. Ofcourse, the present disclosure is not limited to this specific SS blockconfiguration. Other nonlimiting examples may utilize greater or fewerthan two synchronization signals; may include one or more supplementalchannels in addition to the PBCH; may omit a PBCH; and/or may utilizenonconsecutive symbols for an SS block, within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

In an UL transmission, a transmitting device (e.g., a UE/scheduledentity 106) may utilize one or more REs 306, including one or more ULcontrol 118 channels that may carry uplink control information (UCI) tothe scheduling entity/base station 108, for example. UCI may include avariety of packet types and categories, including pilots, referencesignals, and information configured to enable or assist in decodinguplink data transmissions. In some examples, the uplink controlinformation may include a scheduling request (SR), i.e., request for thescheduling entity to schedule uplink transmissions. Here, in response tothe SR transmitted on the uplink control 118 channel from the scheduledentity 106, the scheduling entity/base station 108 may transmit downlinkcontrol information (DCI) that may schedule resources for uplink packettransmissions. UCI may also include HARQ feedback, such as anacknowledgment (ACK) or negative acknowledgment (NACK), channel stateinformation (CSI), channel state feedback (CSF), or any other suitableUL control information (UCI). The UCI may originate from higher layersvia one or more UL control channels, such as a physical uplink controlchannel (PUCCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), etc. Further,UL REs 306 may carry UL physical signals that generally do not carryinformation originating from higher layers, such as demodulationreference signals (DMRS), phase-tracking reference signals (PT-RS),sounding reference signals (SRS), etc.

In addition to control information, one or more REs 306 (e.g., withinthe data region 314) may be allocated for user data traffic. Suchtraffic may be carried on one or more traffic channels, such as, for aDL transmission, a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), or for anUL transmission, a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). In someexamples, one or more REs 306 within the data region 314 may beconfigured to carry SIBs (e.g., SIB1), carrying information that mayenable access to a given cell.

The physical channels described above are generally multiplexed andmapped to transport channels for handling at the medium access control(MAC) layer. Transport channels carry blocks of information calledtransport blocks (TB). The transport block size (TBS), which maycorrespond to a number of bits of information, may be a controlledparameter, based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and thenumber of RBs in a given transmission.

FIG. 4 is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of DL channels within a5G NR subframe. In this example (e.g., for a slot configuration 0), eachslot may include 14 symbols, but the disclosure is not limited to such.A first arrowed line indicates a subset of the system bandwidth RBs 402(e.g., a subset of the resource grid 304 of FIG. 3). The symbols on theDL may be cyclic prefix (CP) OFDM (CP-OFDM) symbols in some examples.

A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) 404 may carry a DCI withinone or more control channel elements (CCEs). Each CCE may include nineresource element (RE) groups (REGs), where each REG may include fourconsecutive REs in an OFDM symbol.

A primary synchronization signal (PSS) 406 is shown in symbol 2 of thesubframe. A UE may use the PSS 406 to determine subframe and symboltiming and a physical layer identity. A secondary synchronization signal(SSS) 408 is shown in symbol 4 of the subframe. The SSS 408 may be usedby a UE to determine a physical layer cell identity group number andradio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and thephysical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine aphysical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determinethe locations of the aforementioned DMRS. A physical broadcast channel(PBCH) 410, which carries a master information block (MIB) as discussedherein, may be logically grouped with the PSS 406 and the SSS 408 toform an SS/PBCH block 412. The MIB may indicate the number of RBs in thesystem bandwidth, a system frame number (SFN), and other information. Asindicated by a second arrowed line, the length of the SS/PBCH block 412is 20 RBs 414 in this example.

A physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) 416 carries user data,broadcast system information not transmitted through the PBCH such assystem information blocks (SIBs), and paging messages. In addition, thePDSCH 416 may carry a DCI (e.g., control-related information) in someexamples.

The MIB in the PBCH may include system information (SI), along withparameters for decoding a system information block (SIB). In someexamples, this SIB is a SystemInformationType 1 SIB (referred to asSIB1) that includes additional SI. Examples of SI transmitted in the MIBmay include, but are not limited to, a subcarrier spacing, system framenumber, a configuration of a PDCCH control resource set (CORESET) (e.g.,PDCCH CORESETO), and a search space for SIB1. Examples of SI transmittedin the SIB1 may include, but are not limited to, a random access searchspace, downlink configuration information, and uplink configurationinformation. The MIB and SIB1 together provide the minimum SI forinitial access.

A brief discussion of an initial access procedure for a UE using theabove information follows. As discussed above, a BS may transmitsynchronization signals (e.g., including PSS and SSS) in the network toenable UEs to synchronize with the BS, as well as SI (e.g., including aMIB, RMSI, and other SI (OSI)) to facilitate initial network access. TheBS may transmit the PSS, the SSS, and/or the MIB via SSBs over the PBCHand may broadcast the RMSI and/or the OSI over the PDSCH.

A UE attempting to access a RAN may perform an initial cell search bydetecting a PSS from a BS (e.g., the PSS of a cell of the BS) of theRAN. The PSS may enable the UE to synchronize to period timing of the BSand may indicate a physical layer identity value assigned to the cell.The UE may also receive an SSS from the BS that enables the UE tosynchronize on the radio frame level with the cell. The SSS may alsoprovide a cell identity value, which the UE may combine with thephysical layer identity value to identify the cell.

After receiving the PSS and SSS, the UE may receive the SI from the BS.The system information may take the form of the MIB and SIBs discussedabove. The system information includes essential or critical informationfor a UE to access the network such as downlink (DL) channelconfiguration information, uplink (UL) channel configurationinformation, access class information, and cell barring information, aswell as other less critical information. The MIB may include SI forinitial network access and scheduling information for RMSI and/or OSI.After decoding the MIB, the UE may receive the RMSI and/or the OSI.

The SI includes information that enables a UE to determine how toconduct an initial access to a RAN (e.g., the RAN 200 of FIG. 2). Insome examples, SIB 2 includes random access configuration information(e.g., a RACH configuration) that indicates the resources that the UE isto use to communicate with the RAN during initial access. The randomaccess configuration information may indicate, for example, theresources allocated by the RAN for a PRACH procedure. For example, theRACH configuration may indicate the resources allocated by the networkfor the UE to transmit a PRACH preamble and to a receive random accessresponse. In some examples, the RACH configuration identifies monitoringoccasions (MOs) that specify a set of symbols (e.g., in a PRACH slot)that are scheduled by a base station for the PRACH procedure. The RACHconfiguration may also indicate the size of a random access responsewindow during which the UE is to monitor for a response to a PRACHpreamble. The RACH configuration may further specify that the randomaccess response window starts a certain number of sub-frames after theend of the PRACH preamble in some examples. After obtaining the MIB, theRMSI and/or the OSI, the UE may thus perform a random access procedurefor initial access to the RAN.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the scheduling entity and/orscheduled entity may be configured for beamforming and/or multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) technology. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of awireless communication system 500 supporting beamforming and/or MIMO. Ina MIMO system, a transmitter 502 includes multiple transmit antennas 504(e.g., N transmit antennas) and a receiver 506 includes multiple receiveantennas 508 (e.g., M receive antennas). Thus, there are N×M signalpaths 510 from the transmit antennas 504 to the receive antennas 508.Each of the transmitter 502 and the receiver 506 may be implemented, forexample, within a scheduling entity, a scheduled entity, or any othersuitable wireless communication device.

The use of such multiple antenna technology enables the wirelesscommunication system to exploit the spatial domain to support spatialmultiplexing, beamforming, and transmit diversity. Spatial multiplexingmay be used to transmit different streams of data, also referred to aslayers, simultaneously on the same time-frequency resource. The datastreams may be transmitted to a single UE to increase the data rate orto multiple UEs to increase the overall system capacity, the latterbeing referred to as multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). This is achieved byspatially precoding each data stream (i.e., multiplying the data streamswith different weighting and phase shifting) and then transmitting eachspatially precoded stream through multiple transmit antennas on thedownlink The spatially precoded data streams arrive at the UE(s) withdifferent spatial signatures, which enables each of the UE(s) to recoverthe one or more data streams destined for that UE. On the uplink, eachUE transmits a spatially precoded data stream, which enables the basestation to identify the source of each spatially precoded data stream.

The number of data streams or layers corresponds to the rank of thetransmission. In general, the rank of the wireless communication system500 (MIMO system) is limited by the number of transmit or receiveantennas 504 or 508, whichever is lower. In addition, the channelconditions at the UE, as well as other considerations, such as theavailable resources at the base station, may also affect thetransmission rank. For example, the rank (and therefore, the number ofdata streams) assigned to a particular UE on the downlink may bedetermined based on the rank indicator (RI) transmitted from the UE tothe base station. The RI may be determined based on the antennaconfiguration (e.g., the number of transmit and receive antennas) and ameasured signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) on each of thereceive antennas. The RI may indicate, for example, the number of layersthat may be supported under the current channel conditions. The basestation may use the RI, along with resource information (e.g., theavailable resources and amount of data to be scheduled for the UE), toassign a transmission rank to the UE.

In one example, as shown in FIG. 5, a rank-2 spatial multiplexingtransmission on a 2×2 MIMO antenna configuration will transmit one datastream from each transmit antenna 504. Each data stream reaches eachreceive antenna 508 along a different signal path 510. The receiver 506may then reconstruct the data streams using the received signals fromeach receive antenna 508.

Beamforming is a signal processing technique that may be used at thetransmitter 502 or receiver 506 to shape or steer an antenna beam(hereinafter a beam) (e.g., a transmit beam or receive beam) along aspatial path between the transmitter 502 and the receiver 506.Beamforming may be achieved by combining the signals communicated viaantennas 504 or 508 (e.g., antenna elements of an antenna array module)such that some of the signals experience constructive interference whileothers experience destructive interference. To create the desiredconstructive/destructive interference, the transmitter 502 or receiver506 may apply amplitude and/or phase offsets to signals transmitted orreceived from each of the antennas 504 or 508 associated with thetransmitter 502 or receiver 506.

In 5G New Radio (NR) systems, particularly for above 6 GHz or mmWavesystems, beamformed signals may be utilized for most downlink channels,including the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and physicaldownlink shared channel (PDSCH). In addition, broadcast controlinformation, such as the SSB, slot format indicator (SFI), and paginginformation, may be transmitted in a beam-sweeping manner to enable allscheduled entities (UEs) in the coverage area of a transmission andreception point (TRP) (e.g., a gNB) to receive the broadcast controlinformation. In addition, for UEs configured with beamforming antennaarrays, beamformed signals may also be utilized for uplink channels,including the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and physicaluplink shared channel (PUSCH). However, it should be understood thatbeamformed signals may also be utilized by enhanced mobile broadband(eMBB) gNBs for sub-6 GHz systems.

A base station (e.g., gNB) may generally be capable of communicatingwith UEs using transmit beams (e.g., downlink transmit beams) of varyingbeam widths. For example, a base station may be configured to utilize awider beam when communicating with a UE that is in motion and a narrowerbeam when communicating with a UE that is stationary. The UE may furtherbe configured to utilize one or more downlink received beams to receivesignals from the base station. In some examples, to select one or moredownlink transmit beams and one or more downlink receive beams forcommunication with a UE, the base station may transmit a referencesignal, such as an SSB or CSI-RS, on each of a plurality of downlinktransmit beams in a beam-sweeping manner. The UE may measure thereference signal received power (RSRP) on each of the downlink transmitbeams using one or more downlink receive beams on the UE and transmit abeam measurement report to the base station indicating the RSRP of eachof the measured downlink transmit beams. The base station may thenselect one or more serving downlink beams (e.g., downlink transmit beamsand downlink receive beams) for communication with the UE based on thebeam measurement report. The resulting selected downlink transmit beamand downlink receive beam may form a downlink beam pair link In otherexamples, when the channel is reciprocal, the base station may derivethe particular downlink beam(s) to communicate with the UE based onuplink measurements of one or more uplink reference signals, such assounding reference signals (SRSs).

Similarly, uplink beams (e.g., uplink transmit beam(s) at the UE anduplink receive beam(s) at the base station) may be selected by measuringthe RSRP of received uplink reference signals (e.g., SRSs) or downlinkreference signals (e.g., SSBs or CSI-RSs) during an uplink or downlinkbeam sweep. For example, the base station may determine the uplink beamseither by uplink beam management via an SRS beam sweep with measurementat the base station or by downlink beam management via an SSB/CSI-RSbeam sweep with measurement at the UE. The selected uplink beam may beindicated by a selected SRS resource (e.g., time-frequency resourcesutilized for the transmission of a SRS) when implementing uplink beammanagement or a selected SSB/CSI-RS resource when implementing downlinkbeam management. For example, the selected SSB/CSI-RS resource can havea spatial relation to the selected uplink transmit beam (e.g., theuplink transmit beam utilized for the PUCCH, SRS, and/or PUSCH). Theresulting selected uplink transmit beam and uplink receive beam may forman uplink beam pair link.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating communication between a base station604 and a UE 602 using beamformed signals according to some aspects. Thebase station 604 may correspond to any of the BSs (e.g., gNBs,) orscheduling entities shown in any of presently disclosed FIGS. 1, 2, 5,7-11, 13, and 14. The UE 602 may be any of the UEs or scheduled entitiesof FIGS. 1, 2, 5, 7-11, 13, and 14.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, the base station 604 is configured togenerate a plurality of beams 606 a-606 h, each associated with adifferent beam direction. In addition, the UE 602 is configured togenerate a plurality of beams 608 a-608 e, each associated with adifferent beam direction. The base station 604 and UE 602 may select oneor more beams 606 a-606 h on the base station 604 and one or more beams608 a-608 e on the UE 602 for communication of uplink and downlinksignals therebetween using a downlink beam management scheme and/or anuplink beam management scheme.

In an example of a downlink beam management scheme for selection ofdownlink beams, the base station 604 may be configured to sweep ortransmit on each of a plurality of downlink transmit beams 606 a-606 hduring one or more synchronization slots. For example, the base station604 may transmit a reference signal, such as an SSB or CSI-RS, on eachbeam in the different beam directions during the synchronization slot.Transmission of the beam reference signals may occur periodically (e.g.,as configured via radio resource control (RRC) signaling by the gNB),semi-persistently (e.g., as configured via RRC signaling andactivated/deactivated via medium access control—control element (MAC-CE)signaling by the gNB), or aperiodically (e.g., as triggered by the gNBvia downlink control information (DCI)). It should be noted that whilesome beams are illustrated as adjacent to one another, such anarrangement may be different in different aspects. For example, downlinktransmit beams 606 a-606 h transmitted during a same symbol may not beadjacent to one another. In some examples, the base station 604 maytransmit more or less beams distributed in all directions (e.g., 360degrees).

In addition, the UE 602 is configured to receive the downlink beamreference signals on a plurality of downlink receive beams 608 a-608 e.In some examples, the UE 602 searches for and identifies each of thedownlink transmit beams 606 a-606 h based on the beam reference signals.The UE 602 then performs beam measurements (e.g., RSRP, SINR, RSRQ,etc.) on the beam reference signals on each of the downlink receivebeams 608 a-608 e to determine the respective beam quality of each ofthe downlink transmit beams 606 a-606 h as measured on each of thedownlink receive beams 608 a-608 e.

The UE 602 can generate and transmit a beam measurement report,including the respective beam index and beam measurement of eachdownlink transmit beam 606 a-606 h on each downlink receive beam 608a-608 e to the base station 604. The base station 604 may then selectone or more downlink transmit beams on which to transmit unicastdownlink control information and/or user data traffic to the UE 602. Insome examples, the selected downlink transmit beam(s) have the highestgain from the beam measurement report. In some examples, the UE 602 canfurther identify the downlink transmit beams selected by the basestation from the beam measurements. Transmission of the beam measurementreport may occur periodically (e.g., as configured via RRC signaling bythe gNB), semi-persistently (e.g., as configured via RRC signaling andactivated/deactivated via MAC-CE signaling by the gNB), or aperiodically(e.g., as triggered by the gNB via DCI).

The base station 604 or the UE 602 may further select a correspondingdownlink receive beam on the UE 602 for each selected serving downlinktransmit beam to form a respective downlink beam pair link (BPL) foreach selected serving downlink transmit beam. For example, the UE 602can utilize the beam measurements to select the corresponding downlinkreceive beam for each serving downlink transmit beam. In some examples,the selected downlink receive beam to pair with a particular downlinktransmit beam may have the highest gain for that particular downlinktransmit beam.

In one example, a single downlink transmit beam (e.g., beam 606 d) onthe base station 604 and a single downlink receive beam (e.g., beam 608c) on the UE may form a single downlink BPL used for communicationbetween the base station 604 and the UE 602. In another example,multiple downlink transmit beams (e.g., beams 606 c, 606 d, and 606 e)on the base station 604 and a single downlink receive beam (e.g., beam608 c) on the UE 602 may form respective downlink BPLs used forcommunication between the base station 604 and the UE 602. In anotherexample, multiple downlink transmit beams (e.g., beams 606 c, 606 d, and606 e) on the base station 604 and multiple downlink receive beams(e.g., beams 608 c and 608 d) on the UE 602 may form multiple downlinkBPLs used for communication between the base station 604 and the UE 602.In this example, a first downlink BPL may include downlink transmit beam606 c and downlink receive beam 608 c, a second downlink BPL may includedownlink transmit beam 608 d and downlink receive beam 608 c, and athird downlink BPL may include downlink transmit beam 608 e and downlinkreceive beam 608 d.

When the channel is reciprocal, the above-described downlink beammanagement scheme may also be used to select one or more uplink BPLs foruplink communication from the UE 602 to the base station 604. Forexample, the downlink BPL formed of beams 606 d and 608 e may also serveas an uplink BPL. Here, beam 608 c is utilized as an uplink transmitbeam, while beam 606 d is utilized as an uplink receive beam.

In an example of an uplink beam management scheme, the UE 602 may beconfigured to sweep or transmit on each of a plurality of uplinktransmit beams 608 a-608 e. For example, the UE 602 may transmit an SRSon each beam in the different beam directions. In addition, the basestation 604 may be configured to receive the uplink beam referencesignals on a plurality of uplink receive beams 606 a-606 h. In someexamples, the base station 604 searches for and identifies each of theuplink transmit beams 608 a-608 e based on the beam reference signals.The base station 604 then performs beam measurements (e.g., RSRP, SINR,RSRQ, etc.) on the beam reference signals on each of the uplink receivebeams 606 a-606 h to determine the respective beam quality of each ofthe uplink transmit beams 608 a-608 e as measured on each of the uplinkreceive beams 606 a-606 h.

The base station 604 may then select one or more uplink transmit beamson which the UE 602 will transmit unicast downlink control informationand/or user data traffic to the base station 604. In some examples, theselected uplink transmit beam(s) have the highest gain. The base station604 may further select a corresponding uplink receive beam on the basestation 604 for each selected serving uplink transmit beam to form arespective uplink beam pair link (BPL) for each selected serving uplinktransmit beam. For example, the base station 604 can utilize the beammeasurements to select the corresponding uplink receive beam for eachserving uplink transmit beam. In some examples, the selected uplinkreceive beam to pair with a particular uplink transmit beam may have thehighest gain for that particular uplink transmit beam.

The base station 604 may then notify the UE 602 of the selected uplinktransmit beams For example, the base station 604 may provide the SRSresource identifiers (IDs) identifying the SRSs transmitted on theselected uplink transmit beams In some examples, the base station 604may apply each selected uplink transmit beam (and corresponding uplinkreceive beam) to an uplink signal (e.g., PUCCH, PUSCH, SRS, etc.) andtransmit the respective SRS resource IDs associated with the selecteduplink transmit beams applied to each uplink signal to the UE 602. Whenthe channel is reciprocal, the above-described uplink beam managementscheme may also be used to select one or more downlink BPLs for downlinkcommunication from the base station 604 to the UE 602. For example, theuplink BPLs may also be utilized as downlink BPLs.

With regard to repeaters used in communication systems such as 5G NRsystems, it is noted that such repeaters may be configured as either“smart” repeaters that communicate bi-directionally with a base station,regenerative repeaters that decode and regenerate received signals, oras analog RF repeaters that do not necessarily communicate with a basestation or the network. In the case of RF repeaters, these repeaters arenon-regenerative type relay nodes that simply amplify (or scale) andforward all signals that they receive in the analog domain (e.g., analogrepeaters). An advantage of RF repeaters is that they are lower costthan smart or regenerative repeaters and typically do not have a digitalprocessing chain that decodes, regenerates, and/or retransmits an exactcopy of the original signal, as well as communicating a base station inthe case of smart repeaters. Further, RF repeaters may be beneficial for5G NR millimeter wave (mmWave and also part of the 5G NR FR2frequencies) deployments for providing coverage and capacityenhancements, offering ease of implementation, and not increasinglatency. Additionally, densification for coverage is important formmWave, which requires a large number of nodes. Accordingly, analogrepeaters provide a cost-effective solution for densification in 5G NRmmWave systems.

Other considerations for RF repeaters include the power characteristicsand the frequency spectrum that the repeaters are configured to amplify(e.g., single band, multi-band, etc.). Also, full-duplex repeaters arenot normally configured for differentiating between the UL and DLtransmissions. Also in mmWave systems, signals are vulnerable toblockages due to higher penetration losses and reduced diffraction. RFrepeaters may amplify noise and increase noise interference (i.e.,pollution) in the systems, particularly in mmWave systems.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a communication system 700 featuringthe use of repeaters. As illustrated, the system 700 includes a networknode 702, such as a gNB or base station, and analog RF repeaters 704 and706 that each amplify and forward transmissions of the gNB 702 to some Nnumber of UEs 708 (labeled UE₁₁ through UE_(1N) and UE₂₁ throughUE_(2N)). In an aspect, the RF repeaters 704, 706 may transmit with widebeams to reach all possible UE positions. Repeaters 704, 706 may alsohave corresponding receive beam configurations (spatial filters) with awide beam setting.

If the repeater is an analog repeater, the repeater 704 or 706 may notable to optimize communications with the UEs 708. The repeater mayreceive communications and retransmit communications regardless of adistribution (quantity and location) of the UEs. As a result, therepeater wastes energy and provides a diminished or weaker signal to UEsthat are further away. This may lead to a degradation of communications,especially for UEs that may be at a cell's edge.

FIG. 8 illustrates another example of a wireless communication system800 that includes use of a RF repeater in the context of time divisionduplexed (TDD) and multi-beam operation. As shown, the wireless system800 includes a gNB or base station 802 that utilizes beam forming andthe ability to transmit via multiple beams In this example, a particularbeam 804 is used for transmission of signals (DL and UL) with an RFrepeater 806. The RF repeater 806, in turn, serves to repeat signals toand from an UE 808. Typically, RF repeaters are configured to beomni-directional as illustrated by range 809, or may be have a fixeddirection for transmitted and received signals (i.e., the repeater isnot adaptive over time).

Additionally, repeaters typically are not configured to distinguishbetween uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) signals in TDD communications. Asan illustration of TDD communication, a TDD slot/symbol timeline isshown at 810 over a DL-UL transmission time period 812, symbols/slotsthat are repeated by RF repeater 806 include both DL and UL slots. Inthe TDD example shown, full downlink slots/symbols 814 are transmitted,a mix of DL, flexible, DL symbols are transmitted during a switching orDL-to-UL transition slot(s) 816, and then full uplink slots 818 aretransmitted for the remainder of the DL-UL time period 812. A simple RFrepeater will not distinguish between UL slots/symbols and DLslots/symbols occurring over the DL-UL time period 812.

FIG. 9 illustrates another example of a wireless communication system900 that includes use of a smart RF repeater in the context of timedivision duplexed (TDD) and multi-beam operation where the repeater maybe configured to transmit/receive in an adaptive manner (e.g., spatiallybeam form), as well as distinguish between UL and DL transmissions inTDD. As shown, the wireless system 900 includes a gNB or base station902 that utilizes beam forming and the ability to transmit via multiplebeams. In this example, a particular beam 904 is used for transmissionof signals (DL and UL) with a smart repeater 906. The smart repeater906, in turn, serves to repeat signals to and from an UE 908. In thisexample, the smart repeater 906 may be configured to adaptively directtransmit and receive transmissions using various beams of multiplebeams. Thus, a particular beam 910 could be utilized for communicationswith the UE 908. Additionally, the smart repeater 906 may be fully awareof DL and UL transmissions in a TDD period 912, such as the DLsymbols/slots 914, the switching slot(s) 916, and the UL symbols/slots918.

Additionally, it is noted that smart repeaters, such as repeater 906,may be configured with in-band control by the gNB (e.g., gNB 902). As anexample, FIG. 10 illustrates a wireless communication network 1000. Inthis illustration, a network entity such as a base station (BS) 1002 iscoupled to a remote network 1004, such as a main backhaul network ormobile core network. In the network 1000, wireless spectrum may be usedfor a fronthaul link (FH link) 1006 between the base station 1002 and arepeater device 1008 and for an access link (AL) 1010 between therepeater device 1008 and a UE 1012. The FH link 1006 and the AL 1010 mayeach be conducted over a Uu radio interface or some other suitablewireless communication interface. In some examples, the wirelessspectrum may utilize millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies or sub-6 GHzcarrier frequencies in other examples.

The wireless communication network 1000 may include other base stations,UEs, and repeater devices (not shown). The base station 1002 and otherbase stations may correspond to any of the BSs (e.g., gNBs,) orscheduling entities shown in any of FIGS. 1, 2, 5, 7-11, 13, and 14discussed herein. The repeater device 1008 and other repeater devicesmay be similar to any repeater device described herein, such as, forexample, any of the repeater devices of FIGS. 7-15 discussed herein. Arepeater device may also be referred to as a repeater, a relay, a relaydevice, and the like. The UE 1012 and other UEs may be similar to, forexample, any of the UEs or scheduled entities of FIGS. 1, 2, 5, 7-11,13, and 14.

In the example of FIG. 10, the base station 1002 may be referred to as adonor node since the base station 1002 provides a communication link tothe remote network 1004. A donor node may include, for example, a wired(e.g., fiber, coaxial cable, Ethernet, copper wires), microwave, oranother suitable link to the remote network 1004.

The base station 1002 may be an enhanced gNB including functionality forcontrolling the network 1000. In some examples, the base station 1002may include a central unit (CU) 1014 and a distributed unit (DU) 1016.The CU 1014 is configured to operate as a centralized network node (orcentral entity) within the network 1000. For example, the CU 1014 mayinclude radio resource control (RRC) layer functionality and packet dataconvergence protocol (PDCP) layer functionality to control/configure theother nodes (e.g., repeater devices and UEs) within the network 1000. Insome aspects, RRC signaling may be used for various functions including,as one example, setting up and releasing user data bearers. In someexamples, RRC signaling messages may be transported over signalingbearers (e.g., SRB 1 and SRB 2).

The DU 1016 is configured to operate as a scheduling entity to schedulescheduled entities (e.g., repeater devices and/or UEs) of the basestation 1002. For example, the DU 1016 may operate as a schedulingentity to schedule the repeater device 1008 and the UE 1012. In someexamples, the DU 1016 may include radio link control (RLC), mediumaccess control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layer functionality to enableoperation as a scheduling entity.

An F1 interface provides a mechanism to interconnect the CU 1014 (e.g.,PDCP layer and higher layers) and the DU 1016 (e.g., RLC layer and lowerlayers). In some aspects, an F1 interface may provide control plane anduser plane functions (e.g., interface management, system informationmanagement, UE context management, RRC message transfer, etc.). FLAP isan application protocol for F1 that defines signaling procedures for F1in some examples. The F1 interfaces support F1-C on the control planeand F1-U on the user plane.

To facilitate wireless communication between the base station 1002 andthe UEs (e.g., the UE 1012) served by the base station 1002, therepeater device 1008 may be configured to operate as a scheduled entity.The repeater device 1008 may include a mobile termination (MT) unit 1018to enable scheduled entity functionality. For example, the MT unit 1018may include UE functionality to connect to the base station 1002 and tobe scheduled by the base station 1002. The repeater device 1008 alsoincludes a repeating unit 1020 that relays signals between the basestation 1002 and the UE 1012.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a wireless communication network 1100including a base station 1102, a repeater device 1104, and a UE 1106.The base station 1102 may be similar to, for example, the base stationsor scheduling entities shown in any of FIGS. 1,2,5,7-11,13, and 14. Therepeater device 1104 may be similar to any repeater device describedherein, such as, for example, any of the repeater devices of FIGS. 7-15.The UE 1106 may be similar to, for example, any of the UEs or scheduledentities of FIGS. 1, 2, 5, 7-11, 13, and 14.

Millimeter wave communications have a higher frequency and shorterwavelength than other types of radio waves used for communications(e.g., sub-6 GHz communications). Consequently, millimeter wavecommunications may have shorter propagation distances and may be moreeasily blocked by obstructions than other types of radio waves. Forexample, a wireless communication that uses sub-6 GHz radio waves may becapable of penetrating a wall of a building or a structure to providecoverage to an area on an opposite side of the wall from a base stationthat communicates using the sub-6 GHz radio waves. However, a millimeterwave might not be capable of penetrating the same wall (e.g., dependingon a thickness of the wall, a material from which the wall isconstructed, and/or the like). Thus, a repeater device may be used toincrease the coverage area of a base station, to extend coverage to UEswithout line of sight to the base station (e.g., due to an obstruction),and/or the like.

For example, an obstruction between a UE and a base station may block orotherwise reduce the quality of a link between the base station and theUE. However, a repeater device may be placed so that there are noobstructions or fewer obstructions between the repeater device and theUE and between the repeater device and the base station. Thus,communications between the base station and the UE via the repeaterdevice may have a higher quality than communications directly betweenthe base station the UE.

In some examples, a repeater device may perform directionalcommunication by using beamforming to communicate with the base stationvia a first beam pair (e.g., a fronthaul link beam pair) and tocommunicate with a UE via a second beam pair (e.g., an access link beampair). The term “beam pair” may refer to a transmit (Tx) beam used by afirst device for transmission and a receive (Rx) beam used by a seconddevice for reception of information transmitted by the first device viathe Tx beam.

Referring to FIG. 11, repeater device 1104 includes an MT unit 1108 andan RU 1110 as discussed above in conjunction with FIG. 10. The MT unit1108 communicates with the base station 1102 via a fronthaul link 1116.In some examples, the fronthaul link 1116 may implement a reducedfunctionality Uu interface that may be modified to support repeaterdevice functionality. The fronthaul link 1116 provides a control path1112 between the MT unit 1108 and the base station 1102 (e.g., a DU inthe base station 1102, not shown but similar to DU 1016 shown in FIG.10). In some examples, the control path 1112 carries UL and DL signalsto configure the repeater device 1104, which may also be referred toherein as “side control information” wherein the repeater device 1104 isabove to receive control configuration information apart from thefronthaul link 1116. The control path 1112 may be implemented using arelatively small BWP that is in-band with the BWPs allocated for ULtransmission and/or DL transmission between the base station 1102 andthe UE 1106. In some examples, the fronthaul link 1116 may operatewithin the FR2 frequency range.

The RU 1110 provides relaying (e.g., reception, amplification, andtransmission) functionality to enable signals from the base station 1102to reach the UE 1106 and/or to enable signals from the UE 1106 to reachthe base station 1102. In some examples, the RU 1110 is an analogpass-through device (e.g., without store and forward capability). Inother examples, the RU 1110 may include store and forward functionality.Signals to and from the base station 1102 are carried over a data of thefronthaul link 1116 and an access link 1118. The access link 1118provides a data path that carries analog UL signals and DL signals toand from the UE 1106. In some examples, the access link 1118 may operateat the FR2 frequency range.

The RU 1110 and the access link 1118 may be controlled by the basestation 1102 (e.g., by a DU in the base station 1102, not shown butsimilar to DU 1016 shown in FIG. 10). For example, the base station 1102may schedule UL transmissions and DL transmissions on the access link1118 (e.g., by transmitting control information to the UE 1106). Inaddition, the base station 1102 may control the operation of the RUthrough the MT unit 1108. For example, the base station 1102 mayconfigure the MT unit 1108 via the control path described above to causethe MT unit 1108 to configure the RU 1110. To this end, the MT unit 1108may generate control signaling carried by a signal path 1114 forcontrolling the operation of the RU 1110.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating another example of a repeater device1200. The repeater device 1200 may correspond to any of the repeaterdevices described herein in FIGS. 7-15. In some examples, the repeaterdevice 1200 may be a millimeter wave repeater device that communicatesvia millimeter wave transmissions (e.g., as opposed to sub-6 GHztransmissions).

The repeater device 1200 may include a relay unit (RU) 1202, one or moreantenna arrays (or antennas, antenna panels, and/or the like) such as areceive (Rx) array 1204 and a transmit (Tx) array 1206, and an MT unit1208 as discussed herein. The RU 1202 includes an amplifier 1210 foramplifying signals received via the receive array 1204 and transmittingthe amplified signals via the transmit array 1206. The mobiletermination (MT) unit 1208 includes a baseband processor 1212 forprocessing signals received from a base station (not shown) over acontrol path as discussed above, controlling the operation of the RU1202 as necessary (e.g., via control signaling 1214), and transmittingsignals to the base station via the control path.

An antenna array such as array 1204 or 1206 may include multiple antennaelements capable of being configured for beamforming. An antenna arraymay be referred to as a phased array because phase values and/or phaseoffsets of the antenna elements may be configured to form a beam, withdifferent phase values and/or phase offsets being used for differentbeams (e.g., in different directions). In some aspects, an antenna arraymay be a fixed receive (Rx) antenna array capable of only receivingcommunications while not transmitting communications. In some aspects,an antenna array may be a fixed transmit (Tx) antenna array capable ofonly transmitting communications while not receiving communications. Insome aspects, an antenna array may be configured to act as an Rx antennaarray or a Tx antenna array (e.g., via a Tx/Rx switch, a MUX/DEMUX,and/or the like). An antenna array may be capable of communicating usingmillimeter waves and/or other types of RF analog signals.

The amplifier 1210 includes one or more components capable of amplifyingan input signal and outputting an amplified signal. For example, theamplifier 1210 may include a power amplifier, a variable gain component,and/or the like. In some aspects, amplifier 1210 may have variable gaincontrol. In some examples, the level of amplification of the amplifier1210 may be controlled by the baseband processor 1212 (e.g., under thedirection of the base station).

The baseband processor 1212 includes one or more components capable ofcontrolling one or more other components of repeater device 1200. Forexample, the baseband processor 1212 may include a controller, amicrocontroller, a processor, and/or the like. In some aspects, thebaseband processor 1212 may control a level of amplification or gainapplied by the amplifier 1210 to an input signal. Additionally, oralternatively, the baseband processor 1212 may control an antenna arrayby controlling a beamforming configuration for the antenna array (e.g.,one or more phase values for the antenna array, one or more phaseoffsets for the antenna array, one or more power parameters for theantenna array, one or more beamforming parameters for the antenna array,a Tx beamforming configuration, an Rx beamforming configuration, and/orthe like), by controlling whether the antenna array acts as a receiveantenna array or a transmit antenna array (e.g., by configuringinteraction and/or connections between the antenna array and switches),and/or the like. Additionally, or alternatively, the baseband processor1212 may power on or power off one or more components of repeater device1200 (e.g., when a base station does not need to use the repeater deviceto serve UEs). In some aspects, the baseband processor 1212 may controltiming of one or more of the above configurations.

The baseband processor 1212 may include a component capable ofcommunicating with a base station via the control path. In some aspects,the baseband processor 1212 may communicate with the base station usingone or more in-band radio frequencies (e.g., radio frequencies that areincluded within an operating frequency bandwidth of the antenna arrays).In this case, the base station may configure a BWP within the operatingfrequency bandwidth of the antenna arrays (e.g., an in-band BWP) suchthat the BWP carries the control interface associated with the repeaterdevice 1200.

In some examples, the baseband processor 1212 may include one or morecomponents for digital signal processing (e.g., digital signalprocessor, a baseband processor, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), ananalog-to-digital converter (ADC), and/or the like). In this way, thebaseband processor 1212 may demodulate, decode, and/or perform othertypes of processing on the control information received from a basestation.

Switches 1216, 1218, 1220, and 1222 include one or more componentscapable of enabling the repeater device 1200 to either relay a signalreceived via a receive antenna array or to transmit an RF analog signalgenerated by the repeater device 1200 (e.g., generated by the MT unit1208). For example, in one configuration, the switches 1216, 1218, 1220,and 1222 may be configured to couple the RU 1202 to the receive array1204 and the transmit array 1206. In another configuration, the switches1216, 1218, 1220, and 1222 may be configured to couple the MT unit 1208to the receive array 1204 and the transmit array 1206. In some examples,the position of each of the switches 1216, 1218, 1220, and 1222 may becontrolled by the MT unit 1208.

Switches (not shown) may be used to multiplex and/or demultiplexcommunications received from and/or transmitted to an antenna array. Forexample, switches (e.g., multiplexer/demultiplexers) may be used toswitch an Rx antenna array to a Tx antenna array, or vice versa.

A summing device 1224 (e.g., a multiplexer) may include functionality tocombine signals from the amplifier 1210 with signals from the MT unit1208. For example, signals for the data path may be provided on thefrequency bands for the BWPs allocated for data transmission, whilesignals for the control path may be provided on the frequency band(s)for the BWP allocated for control transmission. A demultiplexer 1228could be used in some examples (e.g., to demultiplex the control pathfrom an incoming signal).

In further aspects, a repeater device may relay signals to and frommultiple UEs. FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a wireless communicationnetwork 1300 that includes a base station (BS) 1302, a repeater device(R) 1304, a first UE 1306, and a second UE 1308. The base station 1302may be similar to, for example, and of the base stations or schedulingentities shown in any of FIGS. 1, 2, 5, 7-11, 13, and 14. The repeaterdevice 1304 may be similar to any repeater device described herein, suchas, for example, any of the repeater devices of FIGS. 7-15. The UEs 1306or 1308 may be similar to, for example, any of the UEs or scheduledentities of FIGS. 1, 2, 5, 7-11, 13, and 14.

Additionally, the repeater device 1304 may established a first beam pair1310 to the first UE 136 and a second beam pair 1312 to the second UE1308. The base station 1302 and the repeater device 1304 may communicatevia a beam path 1314 where data is sent to and/or received from basestation 1302.

As discussed above, repeater devices such as smart repeaters can acquirethe mentioned side control information via a control-interface (e.g.,1112 in FIG. 11) to a gNB or some other control node in the network.Accordingly, this type of repeater involves establishing a communicationlink between the repeater and base station or gNB in a manner orprocesses similar to a UE acquiring cell access. This type of repeaterimplementation becomes complex and may, in practice, require a UE modemincorporated into the repeater. Additionally, the operation of therepeater will be managed and configured by the base station or gNB,adding extra work and overhead for the base station or gNB. Accordingly,in some examples disclosed herein, an analog or RF repeater may beconfigured to learn beamforming configurations without having toestablish a link to the base station or gNB (i.e., still maintaining ananalog repeater operation). Accordingly, such repeaters may be able togain at least some of the performance benefits of the smart repeaters,but without the extra overhead and complexity involved with smartrepeaters and having to establish a separate control interface with thebase station or gNB.

An analog or RF repeater may have a broad beam on both the fronthaullink and access link sides. Additionally, a repeater may be configurable(e.g., manually configurable by a user) at the time of initialdeployment (or afterward) for proper placement with respect to a gNB andan optimal or proper fronthaul beam configuration may also be set.According to various aspects disclosed herein, an analog or RF repeatermay be further configured to be able to autonomously determine anappropriate or optimal beam forming configuration based on measurementsof received signals. In particular, a repeater may be configured tomeasure the received power for a number of different spatial directions.That is, the repeater may be configure to scan different directionsusing different receive beamforming configurations, and the measure thereceived power in each of those different directions. Based on theresult of the scan and measured powers, the repeater may be configuredto then select a beamforming configuration for the fronthaul linkcommunication with the base station or gNB, for example.

FIG. 14 illustrates a call flow diagram 1400 illustrating signaling in awireless communication network including a base station (BS) 1402, arepeater device “R” 1404, and a UE 1406. The base station 1402 may besimilar to, for example, and of the base stations or scheduling entitiesshown in any of FIGS. 1, 2, 5, 7-11, 13, and 14. The repeater device1404 may be similar to any repeater device described herein, such as,for example, any of the repeater devices of FIGS. 7-15. The UE 1406 maybe similar to, for example, any of the UEs or scheduled entities ofFIGS. 1, 2, 5, 7-11, 13, and 14. Additionally, the repeater device 1404may be configured as an analog or RF repeater device that does notestablish a control link with the base station 1402. Furthermore, therepeater device 1404 may be equipped with a power detector that isconfigured to measure a total received power (e.g., analog power),either for signals from the BS 1402 or the UE 1406, as will be discussedlater.

As illustrated at block 1408, the repeater device 1404 may include aprocess of measuring the received power from multiple directions (e.g.,multiple received beam configurations). This process in block 1408 maybe accomplished through scanning or beam sweeping through multiplespatial directions and measuring the signal power with a power detectorat each beam direction. After measuring the power at each of themultiple directions, the repeater device 1404 may be configured to thenselect a receive beam configuration for the fronthaul link between theBS 1402 and the repeater device 1404 to optimize signal receptionwithout the need for control communication between the BS 1402 andrepeater device 1404.

In one example, the repeater device 1404 may determine the totalreceived analog power at each beam direction/configuration in theprocesses of block 1408 and then determine the beamdirection/configuration for the fronthaul link based on the directionhaving the greatest measured total received analog power. In furtheraspects, the processes of block 1408 may further include the repeaterdevice 1404 being enabled to configure a frequency and/or bandwidth forthe received signals to measure the received power more accurately. In aparticular aspect, the repeater device 1404 may be able to configure acenter frequency and the bandwidth, and then process the receivedsignals in the intermediate frequency (IF) or even in baseband frequencyto determine power for each beam configuration. In other aspects,repeater device 1404 may measure the received power over a narrowerbandwidth. In still other aspects, the repeater device 1404 may beconfigured to scan different frequency candidates (i.e., differentcenter frequencies and/or bandwidths).

Moreover, the repeater device 1404 may scan around known synchronizationraster locations, which are those frequencies and/or beam configurationswhere the gNB is known to send periodic synchronization signal blocks(SSBs) or remaining minimum system information (RMSI) (e.g., 1414),which may be detectable in the repeater device 1404 in some examples,but not processed or decoded. Additionally, the repeater device 1404 mayselect a duty cycle of the receive beam scan based on the periodicity ofthe SSB signals (e.g. 20 msec for SSBs). For example, the repeaterdevice 1404 may scan using a first received beam for the periodicity ofthe SSBs signals (e.g., scan at least 20 msec) before checking anotherreceiver beam. The repeater device 1404 may search for the periodicbursts (i.e., SSB bursts) and then decide on or select a beamconfiguration based on the measured power within such bursts. It isnoted that outside of these bursts there could be UL transmissions bythe UEs that may lead to an inaccurate FH receive beam measurement.

After the beam configuration is selected for the FH link, the signalsreceived from the base station 1402 (and also reverse signals from theUE 1406 to be relayed to the base station 1402) are received at theparticular beam configuration as illustrated by communications 1412.

In further aspects, the repeater device 1404 may also be configured tofind a proper beam for transmissions to and from a UE (UE 1406) on theservice side or access link (AL). In one example, after the repeaterdevice 1404 has selected a beam configuration for the FH link, therepeater device 1404 may then scan over multiple directions to determinereceived power to determine a beam configuration for the AL as shown at1416. In further examples, the scan for AL beam configuration candidatesmay exclude the beam direction of the FH link selected as the likelihoodthat the UE is between repeater device 1404 and the base station 1402 islow (and also that the need for a repeater for the UE is less). In otheraspects, rather than scanning again for beam configurations for the AL,the repeater device may instead reuse the previous scan results fromblock 1408, for example, in order to identify optimal beam directionsfor the AL. After determining the measured power in the variousdirections, a beam configuration is selected for the AL with one or moreUEs as shown in block 1418.

When determining beam directions for the AL, the repeater device 1404may also rule out particular beam directions based on various parametersthat could indicate blockage of a direction or that coverage extensionin a particular direction is not necessary. For example, if no signal(or a very low received power that is less than a first predeterminedthreshold) is detected for a direction for an extended period of time,it is likely that that direction is blocked, and no UE will show up inthat direction. Accordingly, the repeater may be able to avoid or ruleout this direction for coverage. In another example, if strong signalsare detected (i.e., a high received power greater than a secondpredetermined threshold) in a direction, this high power could be anindication that: (1) there is no need to extend the coverage in thatdirection; and/or (2) there is another network node (gNB/repeater) inthat direction to which the repeater device 1404 may cause excessiveinterference. Again in such instance, the repeater device 1404 may beconfigured to rule out or avoid this direction for selection of the ALbeam direction (i.e., the AL beamforming configuration).

According to further aspects, it is noted that as part of initial FHbeam scan in block 1408, for example, the repeater device 1404 mayacquire rough information about the location of the gNB's transmissionbursts (e.g., SSBs/RMSI). The repeater device 1404 may then beconfigured to use the measured power outside these identified bursts(since the bursts are very likely associated with DL signals) for use inselecting the AL beamforming configuration.

Once beam configuration selections are made (i.e., either block 1410and/or 1416), DL signals 1420 on the FH link are received from the basestation 1402 using the selected receive beam configuration and, in turn,are relayed to the UE on the AL DL 1422 (and may be transmitted usingthe selected AL beam configuration in some examples). Likewise, ULsignals from the UE 1406 to BS 1402 are received via the selected ALbeam configuration as shown at 1424 and then relayed to the base station1402 on the FH link (which may be the selected beam configuration as thereceive beam configuration) as shown at 1426.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareimplementation of repeater device 1500 (e.g., an analog RF repeaterdevice as described herein) employing a processing system 1514 accordingto some aspects of the disclosure. The repeater device 1500 may be anyrepeater device as illustrated in any one or more of FIGS. 7-15.

In accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, an element, or anyportion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implementedwith the processing system 1514 that includes one or more processors,such as processor 1504. Examples of processors 1504 includemicroprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs),field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices(PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, andother suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionalitydescribed throughout this disclosure. In various examples, the repeaterdevice 1500 may be configured to perform any one or more of thefunctions described herein. That is, the processor 1504, as utilized inthe repeater device 1500, may be used to implement any one or more ofthe methods or processes described and illustrated, such as thosedescribed in connection with FIGS. 16 and 17.

In this example, the processing system 1514 may be implemented with abus architecture, represented generally by the bus 1502. The bus 1502may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending onthe specific application of the processing system 1514 and the overalldesign constraints. The bus 1502 communicatively couples togethervarious circuits including one or more processors (represented generallyby the processor 1504), a memory 1505, and computer-readable media(represented generally by the computer-readable medium 1506). The bus1502 may also link various other circuits such as timing sources,peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, whichare well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described anyfurther.

A bus interface 1508 provides an interface between the bus 1502 and atransceiver 1510. The transceiver 1510 may be, for example, a wirelesstransceiver. The transceiver 1510 provides a means for communicatingwith various other apparatus over a transmission medium (e.g., airinterface). The transceiver 1510 may further be coupled to one or moreantennas/antenna array/antenna module 1520. The bus interface 1508further provides an interface between the bus 1502 and a user interface1512 (e.g., keypad, display, touch screen, speaker, microphone, controlfeatures, etc.). Of course, such a user interface 1512 is optional, andmay be omitted in some examples. In addition, the bus interface 1508further provides an interface between the bus 1502 and a power source1528, and between the bus 1502 and an application processor 1530, whichmay be separate from a modem (not shown) of the repeater device 1500 orprocessing system 1514.

One or more processors, such as processor 1504, may be responsible formanaging the bus 1502 and general processing, including the execution ofsoftware stored on the computer-readable medium 1506. Software shall beconstrued broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, codesegments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules,applications, software applications, software packages, routines,subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures,functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware,microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. The software mayreside on the computer-readable medium 1506. The software, when executedby the processor 1504, causes the processing system 1514 to perform thevarious processes and functions described herein for any particularapparatus.

The computer-readable medium 1506 may be a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium and may be referred to as a computer-readablestorage medium or a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer-executablecode (e.g., processor-executable code). The computer executable code mayinclude code for causing a computer (e.g., a processor) to implement oneor more of the functions described herein. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium includes, by way of example, a magnetic storagedevice (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strip), an optical disk(e.g., a compact disc (CD) or a digital versatile disc (DVD)), a smartcard, a flash memory device (e.g., a card, a stick, or a key drive), arandom access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM(PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM(EEPROM), a register, a removable disk, and any other suitable mediumfor storing software and/or instructions that may be accessed and readby a computer. The computer-readable medium 1506 may reside in theprocessing system 1514, external to the processing system 1514, ordistributed across multiple entities including the processing system1514. The computer-readable medium 1506 may be embodied in a computerprogram product or article of manufacture. By way of example, a computerprogram product or article of manufacture may include acomputer-readable medium in packaging materials. In some examples, thecomputer-readable medium 1506 may be part of the memory 1505. Thoseskilled in the art will recognize how best to implement the describedfunctionality presented throughout this disclosure depending on theparticular application and the overall design constraints imposed on thesystem. The computer-readable medium 1506 and/or the memory 1505 mayalso be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processor 1504when executing software.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 1504 may includecommunication and processing circuitry 1541 configured for variousfunctions, including receiving, amplifying, and forwarding signals. Insome examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1541 mayinclude one or more hardware components that provide the physicalstructure that performs processes related to wireless communication(e.g., signal reception and/or signal transmission). In addition, thecommunication and processing circuitry 1541 may be configured to receiveand relay uplink traffic and uplink control messages (e.g., similar touplink traffic 216 and uplink control 218 of FIG. 2) and transmitrelayed downlink traffic and downlink control messages (e.g., similar todownlink traffic 212 and downlink control 214 of FIG. 2) via theantennas/antenna array/antenna module 1520 and the transceiver 1510. Thecommunication and processing circuitry 1541 may further be configured toexecute communication and processing software 1551 stored on thecomputer-readable medium 1506 to implement one or more functionsdescribed herein.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 1504 may include powerdetector and/or measurement circuitry 1542 configured for variousfunctions, including, for example, detecting and measuring the receivedpower from a base station (or UE). In some examples, the power detectorand/or measurement circuitry 1542 may include one or more hardwarecomponents that provide the physical structure that performs processesrelated to analog power detection and measurement. The power detectorand/or measurement circuitry 1542 may further be configured to executepower detector and/or measurement software or instructions 1552 storedon the computer-readable medium 1506 to implement one or more functionsdescribed herein.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 1504 may include beamscanning circuitry 1543 configured for various functions, including, forexample, scanning across multiple beam configurations for measurement ofreceived power at each of the beam configurations. In further aspects,beam scanning circuitry 1543 may operate cooperatively with powerdetection/measurement circuitry 1542 such that the repeater scans acrossmultiple beam configurations and measures the received power for eachbeam configuration. In some examples, the beam scanning circuitry 1543may include one or more hardware components that provide the physicalstructure that performs processes related to beam scanning over multiplebeam locations. The beam scanning circuitry 1543 may further beconfigured to execute beam scanning software or instructions 1553 storedon the computer-readable medium 1506 to implement one or more functionsdescribed herein.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 1504 may includefrequency configuration circuitry 1544 configured for various functions,including, for example, determining a center frequency and bandwidth tobe used for each measuring the received power. Thus, frequencyconfiguration circuitry 1544 may act in cooperation with powerdetection/measurement circuitry 1542 and beam scanning circuitry 1543.Additionally, frequency configuration circuitry 1544 may be configuredto determine different frequency candidates (i.e., different centerfrequencies and bandwidths). Still further, the frequency configurationcircuitry 1544 may be configured to effectuate scanning aroundpredetermined sync raster locations where a gNB sends periodicSSBs/RMSI, which, in turn, may be stored in memory 1505 as an example.In some examples, the frequency configuration circuitry 1544 may includeone or more hardware components that provide the physical structure thatperforms processes related to frequency and bandwidth selection for usein power measurement and beam scanning The frequency configurationcircuitry 1544 may further be configured to execute frequencyconfiguration software 1554 stored on the computer-readable medium 1506to implement one or more functions described herein.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 1504 may includefronthaul link beam determination circuitry 1545 configured for variousfunctions, including, for example, determining or selecting the beamconfiguration to be used for the fronthaul link based on the measuredpower as determined by one or more of circuitries 1542, 1543, and 1544.In some examples, the fronthaul link beam determination circuitry 1545may include one or more hardware components that provide the physicalstructure that performs processes related to selecting the FH link beamconfiguration to be used when at least receiving signals from (DL) andsending signals to (UL) the base station or gNB (or cell) in therepeater. The fronthaul link beam determination circuitry 1545 mayfurther be configured to execute fronthaul link beam determinationsoftware 1555 stored on the computer-readable medium 1506 to implementone or more functions described herein.

In some further aspects of the disclosure, the processor 1504 mayinclude access link (AL) beam determination circuitry 1546 configuredfor various functions, including, for example, determining or selectinga beam configuration to be used for transmission of signals between therepeater 1500 and a UE. In some examples, the access link beamdetermination circuitry 1546 may include one or more hardware componentsthat provide the physical structure that performs processes related toobtaining measurements from the circuitries 1542, 1543, and/or 1544 andthen selecting a beam configuration for the AL. In further aspects,access link beam determination circuitry 1546 may access previouslydetermined measurements made for determination of the FH link beamconfiguration and which could be stored in memory 1505 or medium 1506.The access link beam determination circuitry 1546 may further beconfigured to access link beam determination software 1556 stored on thecomputer-readable medium 1506 to implement one or more functionsdescribed herein.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method 1600 for beamconfiguration at a wireless repeater device, which may includeautonomous beam configuration according to some aspects. As describedbelow, some or all illustrated features may be omitted in a particularimplementation within the scope of the present disclosure, and someillustrated features may not be required for implementation of allembodiments. In some examples, the method 1600 may be carried out by therepeater device 1500 illustrated in FIG. 15. In some other examples, themethod 1600 may be carried out by any suitable apparatus or means forcarrying out the functions or algorithms described herein.

At block 1602, the repeater device receives one or more signals from atleast one of a base station or one or more user equipment (UE). Inaspects, the one or more signals may be received from a plurality ofbeam directions, where some of the signals are received from one beamdirection, another parts of the signals are received from another beamdirection, and so forth. In an example, the communication and processingcircuitry 1541 and transceiver 1510 or equivalents thereof may providemeans for receiving one or more signals in the repeater for each of aplurality of beam directions. In further aspects, the processes ofreceiving the one or more signals in block 1602 may include scanningthrough the plurality of beam directions, such as with a means forscanning that may be implemented with beam scanning circuitry 1543.

Additionally, method 1600 includes measuring the received power for eachof the one or more received signals for each beam location of theplurality of beam locations as shown in block 1604. In an aspect, thepower detector/measure circuitry 1542 or equivalents thereof may providemeans for measuring the received power for each of the one or morereceived signals for each beam location of the plurality of beamlocations.

Additionally, method 1600 may include selecting, setting, or determininga beam forming configuration for transmissions on a fronthaul linkbetween the repeater and at least one base station based on the measuredreceived power of the one or more signals as shown in block 1606. It isnoted that the base station may include any of the base stations (BSs),gNBs, or scheduling entities of FIGS. 1, 2, 5-11, 13, and 14. In anaspect, FH link beam determination circuitry 1545 or equivalents thereofmay provide means for selecting or determining a beam formingconfiguration for transmissions on a fronthaul link between the repeaterand at least one base station based on the measured received power ofthe one or more signals.

According to further aspects, method 1600 may include that the measuringthe received power of the one or more signals in the repeater for eachof the plurality of beam directions is a measurement of a total receivedanalog power for each of the plurality of beam directions. Additionally,method 1600 may include utilizing a plurality of receive beamformingconfigurations for measuring the received power in each of the pluralityof beam directions (i.e., that various different beam configurations arenot just concerning the direction of a beam, but also beam width, forexample).

In yet further aspects, method 1600 may include that the measuring ofthe received power of the one or more signals in the repeater for eachof the plurality of beam directions includes configuring a centerfrequency and bandwidth of the repeater for receiving the one or moresignals. Further, the method 1600 may include processing each of the oneor more signals received around the center frequency and within thebandwidth including converting to at least an intermediate frequency(IF) to measure the received power.

In still further aspects, method 1600 may include that the measuring ofthe received power of the one or more signals in the repeater for eachof the plurality of beam directions includes configuring a plurality ofcenter frequencies and bandwidths of the repeater for receiving the oneor more signals, and then processing each of the one or more signalsreceived around each of the plurality of center frequencies and withinthe bandwidths to measure the received power.

According to still further aspects, method 1600 may include that themeasuring of the received power of the one or more signals in therepeater for each of the plurality of beam directions includes reducinga bandwidth of the received signals to a narrower bandwidth, andmeasuring the received power for each of the plurality of beamdirections over the narrower bandwidth. In yet further aspects, method1600 may include that the measuring of the received power of the one ormore signals in the repeater for each of the plurality of beamdirections includes determining a plurality of a center frequencies anda plurality of bandwidths to search based on a plurality ofpredetermined synchronization raster locations used by one or more basestations in the communication system for broadcasting periodic signals.

Still in further aspects, method 1600 may include determining a dutycycle controlling a time period for measuring the received power at eachof the plurality of beam directions based on a periodicity of theperiodic signals broadcast by the one or more base stations. In otherdisclosed aspects, each of the periodic signals may include a periodicburst, wherein measuring the received power of the one or more signalsin the repeater for each of the plurality of beam directions furthercomprises measuring the received power for the one or more signalswithin a time duration of each periodic burst.

FIG. 17 is a flow chart illustrating another exemplary method 1700 forbeam configuration at a wireless repeater device, which may includeautonomous beam configuration according to some aspects. In particular,method 1700 relates to beam configuration for the access link (AL),which may be performed independent of the method 1600 or may also beperformed in conjunction with or after the method 1600 (particularly inthe cases where method 1700 utilizes measurement information obtainedduring the method 1600). As described below, some or all illustratedfeatures may be omitted in a particular implementation within the scopeof the present disclosure, and some illustrated features may not berequired for implementation of all embodiments. In some examples, themethod 1700 may be carried out by the repeater device 1500 illustratedin FIG. 15. In some other examples, the method 1700 may be carried outby any suitable apparatus or means for carrying out the functions oralgorithms described herein.

As shown in block 1702, method 1700 includes receiving one or moresignals from determining a plurality of beam locations concerning atleast one or more transmissions from a base station or one or moretransmissions from a user equipment (UE). In aspects, the one or moresignals may be received from a plurality of beam directions, where someof the signals are received from one beam direction, another parts ofthe signals are received from another beam direction, and so forth. Inan example, the communication and processing circuitry 1541 andtransceiver 1510 or equivalents thereof may provide means for receivingone or more signals in the repeater for each of a plurality of beamdirections. In further aspects, the processes of receiving the one ormore signals in block 1702 may include scanning through the plurality ofbeam directions, such as with a means for scanning such as beam scanningcircuitry 1543.

Further, method 1700 includes measuring received power for one or morereceived signals in the plurality of beam locations as shown in block1704. Additionally, method 1700 measuring or determining the receivedpower of the one or more received signals except for beam locations thathave been selected for serving a fronthaul link between the repeater andthe base station. In an aspect, block 1704 includes examining or lookingat the scanned beam locations from the base station (either current orpreviously determined during the FH beam configuration setup), and alsoscanning at the repeater for signals from one or more UEs in range ofthe repeater. In an example, the power detector/measure circuitry 1542or equivalents thereof may provide means for measuring the receivedpower for each of the one or more received signals for each beamlocation of the plurality of beam locations.

Additionally, method 1700 includes selecting, setting, or determining abeam forming configuration for transmissions for an access link betweenthe repeater and the UE based on the measuring of the received power ofthe one or more signals at the plurality of beam locations as shown atblock 1706. It is noted that the UE and the base station may include anyof the UEs or base stations (BSs), gNBs, or scheduling entities of FIGS.1, 2, 5-11, 13, and 14. In an aspect, AL link beam determinationcircuitry 1546 or equivalents thereof may provide means for selecting ordetermining a beam forming configuration for transmissions on the accesslink between the repeater and the UE based on the measured receivedpower of the one or more signals.

In further aspects, method 1700 may include measuring of the receivedpower for one or more received signals in the plurality of beamlocations based on predetermined measurement information used forestablishing a beam configuration for the fronthaul link between therepeater and the base station. For example, the scan and powermeasurements used for the FH link determination may be stored in memoryand then accessed during the execution of method 1700 in order to avoidhaving to scan these beam locations again and, thus, save processingresources.

In further aspects, method 1700 may include that determining the beamforming configuration for the access link includes determining whetherat least one beam direction has a corresponding measured received powerthat is less than a first predetermined power threshold, and thenprohibiting selection of the at least beam direction for the beamforming configuration when the corresponding measured received power isless than the first predetermined power threshold. As discussedpreviously, this process avoids obstructed beam directions, for example.

In still more aspects, method 1700 may include that determining the beamforming configuration for the access link includes determining whetherat least one beam direction has a corresponding measured received powerthat is greater than a second predetermined power threshold, and thenprohibiting selection of the at least beam direction for the beamforming configuration when the corresponding measured received powergreater than the second predetermined power threshold.

In one configuration, the repeater device 1500 may include means formeasuring received power of one or more signals in the repeater for eachof a plurality of beam directions, and means for determining a beamforming configuration for a fronthaul link between the repeater and atleast one base station based on the measured received power of each ofplurality of beam directions. In one aspect, the aforementioned meansmay be the processor 1504 shown in FIG. 15 and configured to perform thefunctions recited by the aforementioned means. In another aspect, theaforementioned means may be a circuit, or any apparatus configured toperform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

In another configuration, the repeater device 1500 may include means fordetermining a plurality of beam locations concerning at least one ormore transmissions from a base station or one or more transmissions froma user equipment (UE) that are not a beam location serving a fronthaullink between the repeater and the base station. Additionally, therepeater device 1500 may include means for measuring received power forone or more received signals in the plurality of beam locations, andmeans for determining a beam forming configuration for an access linkbetween the repeater and the UE based on the measured received power ofthe one or more received signals. In one aspect, the aforementionedmeans may be the processor 1504 shown in FIG. 15 and configured toperform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. In anotheraspect, the aforementioned means may be a circuit, or any apparatusconfigured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

Several aspects of a wireless communication network have been presentedwith reference to an exemplary implementation. As those skilled in theart will readily appreciate, various aspects described throughout thisdisclosure may be extended to other telecommunication systems, networkarchitectures and communication standards.

The following provides an overview of aspects of the present disclosure:

Aspect 1: A method of beam forming in a repeater in a communicationsystem, the method comprising: receiving one or more signals in therepeater for each of a plurality of beam directions; measuring receivedpower of each of the one or more signals for each of the plurality ofbeam directions; and determining a beam forming configuration fortransmissions on a fronthaul link between the repeater and at least onebase station based on the measured received power of the one or moresignals.

Aspect 2: The method of aspect 1, wherein measuring the received powerof the one or more signals for each of the plurality of beam directionscomprises: measuring a total received analog power for each of theplurality of beam directions.

Aspect 3: The method of aspect 1 or aspect 2, further comprising:utilizing a plurality of receive beamforming configurations formeasuring the received power in each of the plurality of beamdirections.

Aspect 4: The method of any of aspects 1 through 3, wherein measuringthe received power of the one or more signals for each of the pluralityof beam directions comprises: configuring a center frequency and abandwidth of the repeater for receiving the one or more signals; andprocessing each of the one or more signals received around the centerfrequency and within the bandwidth including converting to at least anintermediate frequency (IF) to measure the received power.

Aspect 5: The method of any of aspects 1 through 3, wherein measuringthe received power of the one or more signals for each of the pluralityof beam directions comprises: configuring a plurality of centerfrequencies and bandwidths of the repeater for receiving the one or moresignals; and processing each of the one or more signals received aroundeach of the plurality of center frequencies and within the bandwidths tomeasure the received power.

Aspect 6: The method of any of aspects 1 through 3, wherein measuringthe received power of the one or more signals for each of the pluralityof beam directions comprises: reducing a bandwidth of the receivedsignals to a narrower bandwidth; and measuring the received power foreach of the plurality of beam directions over the narrower bandwidth.

Aspect 7: The method of any of aspects 1 through 3, wherein measuringthe received power of the one or more signals for each of the pluralityof beam directions comprises: determining a plurality of a centerfrequencies and a plurality of bandwidths to search based on a pluralityof predetermined synchronization raster locations used by one or morebase stations in the communication system for broadcasting periodicsignals.

Aspect 8: The method of any of aspects 1 through 3 and 7, whereinmeasuring the received power of the one or more signals for each of theplurality of beam directions further comprises: determining a duty cyclecontrolling a time period for measuring the received power at each ofthe plurality of beam directions based on a periodicity of the periodicsignals broadcast by the one or more base stations.

Aspect 9: The method of any of aspects 1 through 3 and 7 through 8,further comprising: each of the periodic signals further comprising aperiodic burst, wherein measuring the received power of the one or moresignals in the repeater for each of the plurality of beam directionsfurther comprises: measuring the received power for the one or moresignals within a time duration of each periodic burst.

Aspect 10: The method of any of aspects 1 through 9, further comprising:

transmitting one or more signals to be relayed via the fronthaul linkusing the determined beam forming configuration.

Aspect 11: A wireless repeater device in a wireless communicationnetwork, comprising: a wireless transceiver; a memory; and a processorcommunicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory,wherein the processor and the memory are configured to: receive one ormore signals in the repeater for each of a plurality of beam directions;measure received power of each of the one or more signals for each ofthe plurality of beam directions; and determine a beam formingconfiguration for transmissions on a fronthaul link between the repeaterand at least one base station based on the measured received power ofthe one or more signals.

Aspect 12: The wireless repeater device of aspect 11, wherein theprocessor and the memory are further configured to transmit one or moresignals to be relayed via the fronthaul link using the determined beamforming configuration.

Aspect 13: The wireless repeater device of aspect 11 or 12, wherein theprocessor and the memory are further configured to measure the receivedpower of the one or more signals for each of the plurality of beamdirections by measuring a total received analog power for each of theplurality of beam directions.

Aspect 14: The wireless repeater device of any of aspects 11 through 13,wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to utilize aplurality of receive beamforming configurations for measuring thereceived power in each of the plurality of beam directions.

Aspect 15: The wireless repeater device of any of aspects 11 through 14,wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to measurethe received power of the one or more signals for each of the pluralityof beam directions by configuring a center frequency and a bandwidth ofthe repeater for receiving the one or more signals, and processing eachof the one or more signals received around the center frequency andwithin the bandwidth including converting to at least an intermediatefrequency (IF) to measure the received power.

Aspect 16: The wireless repeater device of any of aspects 11 through 14,wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to measurethe received power of the one or more signals for each of the pluralityof beam directions by configuring a plurality of center frequencies andbandwidths of the repeater for receiving the one or more signals, andprocessing each of the one or more signals received around each of theplurality of center frequencies and within the bandwidths to measure thereceived power.

Aspect 17: The wireless repeater device of any of aspects 11 through 14,wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to measurethe received power of the one or more signals for each of the pluralityof beam directions by reducing a bandwidth of the received signals to anarrower bandwidth, and measuring the received power for each of theplurality of beam directions over the narrower bandwidth.

Aspect 18: The wireless repeater device any of aspects 11 through 14 or17, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured tomeasure the received power of the one or more signals for each of theplurality of beam directions by determining a plurality of a centerfrequencies and a plurality of bandwidths to search based on a pluralityof predetermined synchronization raster locations used by one or morebase stations in the communication system for broadcasting periodicsignals.

Aspect 19: The wireless repeater device of aspect 18, wherein theprocessor and the memory are further configured to measure the receivedpower of the one or more signals for each of the plurality of beamdirections by determining a duty cycle controlling a time period formeasuring the received power at each of the plurality of beam directionsbased on a periodicity of the periodic signals broadcast by the one ormore base stations.

Aspect 20: The wireless repeater device of aspects 18 or 19, furthercomprising: each of the periodic signals further comprising a periodicburst; and wherein the processor and the memory are configured tomeasure the received power of the one or more signals for each of theplurality of beam directions by measuring the received power for the oneor more signals within a time duration of each periodic burst.

Aspect 21: A method of beam forming in a repeater in a communicationsystem, the method comprising: receiving one or more signals from atleast one of a base station or one or more user equipment (UE);measuring received power for the received one or more signals at aplurality of beam locations except for beam locations selected forserving a fronthaul link between the repeater and the base station; andselecting a beam forming configuration for transmissions for an accesslink between the repeater and the UE based on the measuring of thereceived power of the one or more signals at the plurality of beamlocations.

Aspect 22: The method of aspect 21, wherein selecting the beam formingconfiguration for the access link further comprises: comparing themeasured received power of the one or more signals with a first powerthreshold; and selecting the beam forming configuration for the accesslink from one or more beam locations corresponding to signals of the oneor more signals having a corresponding measured received power greaterthan the first power threshold.

Aspect 23: The method of aspect 21, wherein selecting the beam formingconfiguration for the access link further comprises: comparing themeasured received power of the one or more signals with a second powerthreshold; and further selecting the beam forming configuration for theaccess link from one or more beam locations corresponding to signals ofthe one or more signals having a corresponding measured received powerless than the second power threshold.

Aspect 24: The method of any of aspects 21 through 23, furthercomprising: transmitting one or more relayed signals via the access linkusing the determined beam forming configuration.

Aspect 25: The method of any of aspects 21 through 24, wherein measuringof the received power for the one or more received signals in theplurality of beam locations is based on predetermined measurementinformation used for previously establishing a fronthaul beamconfiguration for the fronthaul link between the repeater and the basestation.

Aspect 26: A wireless repeater device in a wireless communicationnetwork, comprising: a wireless transceiver; a memory; and a processorcommunicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory,wherein the processor and the memory are configured to: receive one ormore signals from at least one of a base station or one or more userequipment (UE); measure received power for the received one or moresignals at a plurality of beam locations except for beam locationsselected for serving a fronthaul link between the repeater and the basestation; and select a beam forming configuration for transmissions foran access link between the repeater and the UE based on the measuring ofthe received power of the one or more signals at the plurality of beamlocations.

Aspect 27: The wireless repeater device of aspect 26, wherein theprocessor and the memory are configured to select the beam formingconfiguration for the access link including: comparing the measuredreceived power of the one or more signals with a first power threshold;and selecting the beam forming configuration for the access link fromone or more beam locations corresponding to signals of the one or moresignals having a corresponding measured received power greater than thefirst power threshold.

Aspect 28: The wireless repeater device of aspects 26 or 27, wherein theprocessor and the memory are configured to select the beam formingconfiguration for the access link including: comparing the measuredreceived power of the one or more signals with a second power threshold;and further selecting the beam forming configuration for the access linkfrom one or more beam locations corresponding to signals of the one ormore signals having a corresponding measured received power less thanthe second power threshold.

Aspect 29: The wireless repeater device of any of aspects 26 through 28,wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to transmitone or more relayed signals via the access link using the determinedbeam forming configuration.

Aspect 30: The wireless repeater device of any of aspects 26 through 29,wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to measurethe received power for the one or more received signals in the pluralityof beam locations based on predetermined measurement information usedfor previously establishing a fronthaul beam configuration for thefronthaul link between the wireless repeater device and the basestation.

Aspect 31: An apparatus configured for wireless communication comprisingat least one means for performing a method of any one of aspects 1through 10 or aspects 21 through 25.

Aspect 32: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storingcomputer-executable code, comprising code for causing an apparatus toperform a method of any one of aspects 1 through 10 or aspects 21through 25.

By way of example, various aspects may be implemented within othersystems defined by 3GPP, such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), the EvolvedPacket System (EPS), the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System(UMTS), and/or the Global System for Mobile (GSM). Various aspects mayalso be extended to systems defined by the 3rd Generation PartnershipProject 2 (3GPP2), such as CDMA 2000 and/or Evolution-Data Optimized(EV-DO). Other examples may be implemented within systems employing IEEE802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB),Bluetooth, and/or other suitable systems. The actual telecommunicationstandard, network architecture, and/or communication standard employedwill depend on the specific application and the overall designconstraints imposed on the system.

Within the present disclosure, the word “exemplary” is used to mean“serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementationor aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to beconstrued as preferred or advantageous over other aspects of thedisclosure. Likewise, the term “aspects” does not require that allaspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage, ormode of operation. The word “obtain” is used to mean to get, to acquire,to select, to copy, to derive, and/or to calculate. The term “coupled”is used herein to refer to the direct or indirect coupling between twoobjects. For example, if object A physically touches object B, andobject B touches object C, then objects A and C may still be consideredcoupled to one another—even if they do not directly physically toucheach other. For instance, a first object may be coupled to a secondobject even though the first object is never directly physically incontact with the second object. The terms “circuit” and “circuitry” areused broadly, and intended to include both hardware implementations ofelectrical devices and conductors that, when connected and configured,enable the performance of the functions described in the presentdisclosure, without limitation as to the type of electronic circuits, aswell as software implementations of information and instructions that,when executed by a processor, enable the performance of the functionsdescribed in the present disclosure.

One or more of the components, steps, features and/or functionsillustrated in FIGS. 1-17 may be rearranged and/or combined into asingle component, step, feature, or function or embodied in severalcomponents, steps, or functions. Additional elements, components, steps,and/or functions may also be added without departing from novel featuresdisclosed herein. The apparatus, devices, and/or components illustratedin FIGS. 1-17 may be configured to perform one or more of the methods,features, or steps described herein. The novel algorithms describedherein may also be efficiently implemented in software and/or embeddedin hardware.

It is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps inthe methods disclosed is an illustration of exemplary processes. Basedupon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order orhierarchy of steps in the methods may be rearranged. The accompanyingmethod claims present elements of the various steps in a sample orderand are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchypresented unless specifically recited therein.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the various aspects described herein. Variousmodifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied toother aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to theaspects shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistentwith the language of the claims, wherein reference to an element in thesingular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specificallyso stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically statedotherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. A phrase referring to“at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of thoseitems, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b,or c” is intended to cover: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; and a, band c. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of thevarious aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known orlater come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art areexpressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to beencompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein isintended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether suchdisclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is tobe construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless theelement is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in thecase of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “stepfor.”

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of beam forming in a repeater in acommunication system, the method comprising: receiving one or moresignals in the repeater for each of a plurality of beam directions;measuring received power of each of the one or more signals for each ofthe plurality of beam directions; and determining a beam formingconfiguration for transmissions on a fronthaul link between the repeaterand at least one base station based on the measured received power ofthe one or more signals.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring thereceived power of the one or more signals for each of the plurality ofbeam directions comprises: measuring a total received analog power foreach of the plurality of beam directions.
 3. The method of claim 1,further comprising: utilizing a plurality of receive beamformingconfigurations for measuring the received power in each of the pluralityof beam directions.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring thereceived power of the one or more signals for each of the plurality ofbeam directions comprises: configuring a center frequency and abandwidth of the repeater for receiving the one or more signals; andprocessing each of the one or more signals received around the centerfrequency and within the bandwidth including converting to at least anintermediate frequency (IF) to measure the received power.
 5. The methodof claim 1, wherein measuring the received power of the one or moresignals for each of the plurality of beam directions comprises:configuring a plurality of center frequencies and bandwidths of therepeater for receiving the one or more signals; and processing each ofthe one or more signals received around each of the plurality of centerfrequencies and within the bandwidths to measure the received power. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein measuring the received power of the oneor more signals for each of the plurality of beam directions comprises:reducing a bandwidth of the received signals to a narrower bandwidth;and measuring the received power for each of the plurality of beamdirections over the narrower bandwidth.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein measuring the received power of the one or more signals for eachof the plurality of beam directions comprises: determining a pluralityof a center frequencies and a plurality of bandwidths to search based ona plurality of predetermined synchronization raster locations used byone or more base stations in the communication system for broadcastingperiodic signals.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein measuring thereceived power of the one or more signals for each of the plurality ofbeam directions further comprises: determining a duty cycle controllinga time period for measuring the received power at each of the pluralityof beam directions based on a periodicity of the periodic signalsbroadcast by the one or more base stations.
 9. The method of claim 7,further comprising: each of the periodic signals further comprising aperiodic burst, wherein measuring the received power of the one or moresignals in the repeater for each of the plurality of beam directionsfurther comprises: measuring the received power for the one or moresignals within a time duration of each periodic burst.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: transmitting one or more signals to berelayed via the fronthaul link using the determined beam formingconfiguration.
 11. A wireless repeater device in a wirelesscommunication network, comprising: a wireless transceiver; a memory; anda processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and thememory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to: receiveone or more signals in the repeater for each of a plurality of beamdirections; measure received power of each of the one or more signalsfor each of the plurality of beam directions; and determine a beamforming configuration for transmissions on a fronthaul link between therepeater and at least one base station based on the measured receivedpower of the one or more signals.
 12. The wireless repeater device ofclaim 11, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured totransmit one or more signals to be relayed via the fronthaul link usingthe determined beam forming configuration.
 13. The wireless repeaterdevice of claim 11, wherein the processor and the memory are furtherconfigured to measure the received power of the one or more signals foreach of the plurality of beam directions by measuring a total receivedanalog power for each of the plurality of beam directions.
 14. Thewireless repeater device of claim 11, wherein the processor and thememory are further configured to utilize a plurality of receivebeamforming configurations for measuring the received power in each ofthe plurality of beam directions.
 15. The wireless repeater device ofclaim 11, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured tomeasure the received power of the one or more signals for each of theplurality of beam directions by configuring a center frequency and abandwidth of the repeater for receiving the one or more signals, andprocessing each of the one or more signals received around the centerfrequency and within the bandwidth including converting to at least anintermediate frequency (IF) to measure the received power.
 16. Thewireless repeater device of claim 11, wherein the processor and thememory are further configured to measure the received power of the oneor more signals for each of the plurality of beam directions byconfiguring a plurality of center frequencies and bandwidths of therepeater for receiving the one or more signals, and processing each ofthe one or more signals received around each of the plurality of centerfrequencies and within the bandwidths to measure the received power. 17.The wireless repeater device of claim 11, wherein the processor and thememory are further configured to measure the received power of the oneor more signals for each of the plurality of beam directions by reducinga bandwidth of the received signals to a narrower bandwidth, andmeasuring the received power for each of the plurality of beamdirections over the narrower bandwidth.
 18. The wireless repeater deviceof claim 11, wherein the processor and the memory are further configuredto measure the received power of the one or more signals for each of theplurality of beam directions by determining a plurality of a centerfrequencies and a plurality of bandwidths to search based on a pluralityof predetermined synchronization raster locations used by one or morebase stations in the communication system for broadcasting periodicsignals.
 19. The wireless repeater device of claim 18, wherein theprocessor and the memory are further configured to measure the receivedpower of the one or more signals for each of the plurality of beamdirections by determining a duty cycle controlling a time period formeasuring the received power at each of the plurality of beam directionsbased on a periodicity of the periodic signals broadcast by the one ormore base stations.
 20. The wireless repeater device of claim 18,further comprising: each of the periodic signals further comprising aperiodic burst; and wherein the processor and the memory are configuredto measure the received power of the one or more signals for each of theplurality of beam directions by measuring the received power for the oneor more signals within a time duration of each periodic burst.
 21. Amethod of beam forming in a repeater in a communication system, themethod comprising: receiving one or more signals from at least one of abase station or one or more user equipment (UE); measuring receivedpower for the received one or more signals at a plurality of beamlocations except for beam locations selected for serving a fronthaullink between the repeater and the base station; and selecting a beamforming configuration for transmissions for an access link between therepeater and the UE based on the measuring of the received power of theone or more signals at the plurality of beam locations.
 22. The methodof claim 21, wherein selecting the beam forming configuration for theaccess link further comprises: comparing the measured received power ofthe one or more signals with a first power threshold; and selecting thebeam forming configuration for the access link from one or more beamlocations corresponding to signals of the one or more signals having acorresponding measured received power greater than the first powerthreshold.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein selecting the beamforming configuration for the access link further comprises: comparingthe measured received power of the one or more signals with a secondpower threshold; and further selecting the beam forming configurationfor the access link from one or more beam locations corresponding tosignals of the one or more signals having a corresponding measuredreceived power less than the second power threshold.
 24. The method ofclaim 21, further comprising: transmitting one or more relayed signalsvia the access link using the determined beam forming configuration. 25.The method of claim 21, wherein measuring of the received power for theone or more received signals in the plurality of beam locations is basedon predetermined measurement information used for previouslyestablishing a fronthaul beam configuration for the fronthaul linkbetween the repeater and the base station.
 26. A wireless repeaterdevice in a wireless communication network, comprising: a wirelesstransceiver; a memory; and a processor communicatively coupled to thewireless transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor and thememory are configured to: receive one or more signals from at least oneof a base station or one or more user equipment (UE); measure receivedpower for the received one or more signals at a plurality of beamlocations except for beam locations selected for serving a fronthaullink between the repeater and the base station; and select a beamforming configuration for transmissions for an access link between therepeater and the UE based on the measuring of the received power of theone or more signals at the plurality of beam locations.
 27. The wirelessrepeater device of claim 26, wherein the processor and the memory areconfigured to select the beam forming configuration for the access linkincluding: comparing the measured received power of the one or moresignals with a first power threshold; and selecting the beam formingconfiguration for the access link from one or more beam locationscorresponding to signals of the one or more signals having acorresponding measured received power greater than the first powerthreshold.
 28. The wireless repeater device of claim 27, wherein theprocessor and the memory are configured to select the beam formingconfiguration for the access link including: comparing the measuredreceived power of the one or more signals with a second power threshold;and further selecting the beam forming configuration for the access linkfrom one or more beam locations corresponding to signals of the one ormore signals having a corresponding measured received power less thanthe second power threshold.
 29. The wireless repeater device of claim26, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured totransmit one or more relayed signals via the access link using thedetermined beam forming configuration.
 30. The wireless repeater deviceof claim 26, wherein the processor and the memory are further configuredto measure the received power for the one or more received signals inthe plurality of beam locations based on predetermined measurementinformation used for previously establishing a fronthaul beamconfiguration for the fronthaul link between the wireless repeaterdevice and the base station.